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Dolly asked a thief to return her stolen trike in the newspaper. Her community responded graciously.

How the worst in some people brings out the best in others.

79-year-old Dolly Juelke had a pretty sweet tricycle she rode everywhere.

It's always nice to hear about a nearly-80-year-old who enjoys life to the fullest and still goes out and about, getting exercise and doing her thing. And WDAY6 News reported that the trike was, in fact, her only mode of transportation.


Not Dolly's actual trike, 'cause someone stole it. But it's very similar. Image by Jennifer C./Flickr.

Unfortunately, Dolly's tricycle was stolen right out of her backyard. So she wrote a letter to the editor of her local paper, asking the person who took her bike to return it.

It was a simple two-sentence request, stating that she'd never learned to drive and really needed her three-wheeled bike back.

Image by WDAY6 News.

What kind of person steals a 79-year-old woman's tricycle? I don't know, but fortunately, this story isn't about the unkind among us. It's about the total opposite.

A community member saw her letter and jumped right in, devising a solution.

Cassandra Maland came across the post and started a GoFundMe campaign to raise the money to replace Dolly's wheels.

Image by WDAY6 News.

Maland tried to minimize her actions, saying, "All I really did was get the ball rolling, and the great people of Fargo did the rest."

That was cool of her because being humble is a good quality, but the truth is that her initiative was the spark for a whole lot of kindness and generosity.

Community members ultimately donated $700 to replace Dolly's trike!

Even better, a local bike shop called Paramount Sports gave up the opportunity to make a profit and sold Maland the replacement trike at cost, which was $400.

From the extra money she'd raised, Maland bought a lock and water bottle for Dolly, and she plans on donating the rest of the money.

Dolly was beyond thrilled with her new bike. (And she looks rather slick riding it, doesn't she?!)

Image by WDAY6 News.

She appreciated everyone's generosity and was excited that it was just as great as her old bike. In fact, it's the exact same kind!

"I'm dumbfounded, believe me," Dolly told WDAY6 News. "I just couldn't believe it. It was really nice of everybody."

But that's the thing about humans. There are those who make poor choices, but there are far more of with good hearts who care about each other. It's wonderful that Dolly's community showed her that kindness is everywhere.

You can watch the news story below for some good feelings — free of charge!

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