By BETH CHAPMAN / Community Columnist

Random Acts of Kindness Day is held in February of each year, but that shouldn’t stop us from performing them all year long when given the opportunity.

Shelby County businessman Chris Glenn recently did just that. When he saw an opportunity to commit a random act of kindness, he did it without hesitation.

Recently Chris Glenn “paved” his way into a random act of kindness.

It occurred one day when Glenn and his fellow employees were pouring asphalt at a neighboring home to Ms. Margie Bolding, who is a self-described “older, single woman, nurturing an even older house.”

Bolding previously had her driveway resurfaced by another contractor, and within months it had huge holes in it. When she called the contractor to ask him to correct the problem, it was to no avail. He ignored her calls, and her level of disappointment and frustration grew. She lost faith as so many people do because of the poor work ethic and lack of customer service the contractor had offered.

When she saw Chris Glenn of Glenn Contracting and Paving Co. and his employees performing the same job for a new home across the street, she went over and shared her story with him. When seeing her driveway, Glenn told her he would be embarrassed to take her money if he had done a job that poorly.

So when there was extra asphalt left at the end of Glenn’s job that day, much to Bolding’s surprise, he went over and resurfaced her driveway. She was not only pleased with the job, but overwhelmed by his kindness. When she asked what she owed him he said, “This is my gift to you on behalf of all of us in the paving business who take pride in our work.”

“Sometimes, when you think greed and dishonesty have become the norm, you are given a gift that restores your faith in mankind,” said Bolding.

Beth Chapman, Alabama’s secretary of state, is a Shelby County resident and writes a weekly column for the Shelby County Reporter. You can reach her at bethchapman@bellsouth.net.