Why Dauphin, Pennsylvania Residents Raised Money For A UPS Driver — Bringing Him To Tears
Congrats to Chad! What about the other UPS drivers?
Inspired By Maps / Shutterstock Chad Turns is the local UPS driver for the tiny borough of Dauphin, Pennsylvania. He has been working extremely hard throughout the pandemic to make sure the residents of the town receive their packages on time.
Recently, the community came together and decided it was time to give back to their loyal UPS driver and reward him for his extraordinary efforts all year long. Turns has been delivering packages to the town for over a decade.
The driver was given a large sum of money for his hard work along with several “thank you” notes that moved him to tears.
UPS driver Chad Turns has always been an appreciated member of the community.
Residents Jenny and Adam Shickley witnessed the kindness and the grace with which Turns did his job, day after day.
"The whole town has had personal experience with Chad," Adam Shickley said. "He once thought a package was a gift and there was a picture on the front. My kids were playing outside so he waited until his shift was done and came back to make sure they didn't see it."
Jenny was the kind resident who organized the event for Turns. She said he is a thoughtful and generous person who's always looking out for the best interest of the people of Dauphin.
“Everyone knows how special Chad is,” Jenny Shickley said.
Aside from letting Turns know in person how much they appreciate him, some took to social media to show their gratitude.
“On Facebook, another friend mentioned there was a package that needed signing and they weren’t home,” Jenny Shickley said. “Chad was nervous that it was important, so he went to their parents' house to get it signed for them.”
Turns would go the extra mile to make sure that packages were delivered. He took his job delivering so seriously that he put in extra work to personalize the drop off according to the individual circumstances.
The surprise event that brought tears to Turns’s eyes.
Shickley was inspired to do something after seeing so many residents' comments about Turns on a neighborhood Facebook group.
In about two weeks, the small town of Dauphin raised $1,000 for the driver and purchased a large card that was signed by several members of the community.
“The funny thing is I meant to set it up for $300, but it set to $500,” Jenny Shickley said. “It hit $500 within two days and the total wound up being a little over $1,000.”
As the residents gathered while socially distanced with Covid-19 precautions in mind, Turns arrived to a nice celebration for his work.
"I'm still overwhelmed and it is touching that this community feels so strongly about me," Turns told CNN.
Turns was overcome with emotion as he used his handkerchief to wipe away tears of joy while the residents yelled “Thank you, Chad!”
A humble Turns made sure to credit all UPS drivers, stating that they all deserve to be thanked the way he was for their hard work during the pandemic.
A well-deserved gift for one, but what about the other drivers out there?
Although the gift for Turns was a delightful and deserving surprise, there are other drivers for UPS and similar companies that deserve recognition for their efforts during troubling times.
Covid-19 has seen many lose loved ones, or their employment, yet these drivers have had their work hours and labor only increase.
“He’s been working 60-80 hour weeks for a year,” Shickley said about Turns. “He’s been working Christmas-style hours for 365 days.”
Delivery drivers like Turns have been exposed and at risk for contracting the virus and it's nice to see one receive such heartfelt applause for his bravery and loyalty to the job.
Tomás Diniz Santos is a writer living in Orlando, Florida. He covers news, entertainment, and pop-culture topics.