April 4, 2023

Not all heroes swoop in to prevent physical injury and harm – some save the day in other ways.

The Illuminating Company’s (CEI) Jeremiah Harper is a prime example. While on the job, the meter reader discovered some lost cash on a resident’s property and went the extra mile to return the money to her – protecting the elderly customer from undue financial stress.

“It was just another day on my route,” recalled Jeremiah, who started with CEI three months ago. “As I walked up the customer’s driveway, I felt my foot slide beneath me. Initially, I thought it was some mud underfoot, but when I looked back there was a $20 bill laying on the ground.”

He picked up the cash and realized it was several bills folded together totaling $120.

After knocking on the customer’s door and receiving no answer, Jeremiah phoned his supervisor at the Brooklyn Service Center, Frank McMasters, to report the cash he had found.

“Jeremiah’s intention from the start was to return the money to its rightful owner. He exemplified FirstEnergy’s core value of Integrity by not hesitating to act with honesty, transparency and a desire to do the right thing,” said Frank, who tracked down the account information that corresponded to the address.

Frank telephoned the customer. “I could tell right away that she was older,” he remembered. In fact, the residence belonged to a 94-year-old woman whose late husband had also coincidentally worked for CEI. Now widowed and on a fixed income, she was extremely grateful to have her funds returned – not realizing she had dropped the cash on the driveway. To her, $120 was no small matter.

Jeremiah stopped at the residence again to return her money: “I had a nice, friendly conversation with the customer,” he said. “She had been afraid to answer the door earlier in the day, not knowing who was there, and tried to offer me a cash reward for my assistance – which I declined.”

After Jeremiah left, the woman wasted no time contacting Frank to express her immense gratitude for the young meter reader’s helping hand, saying it reminded her good people still exist in the world.

“This genuine act of kindness really made a difference to her,” Frank reflected. “Jeremiah has a good heart, and he did an outstanding job for a vulnerable customer who needed our aid.”

According to Jeremiah, he was only doing the right thing, sharing: “If I were in her shoes and had lost some money, I’d want someone to do the same for me.”