A really nice story that we want you to read

The following letter, written by a Toronto resident about a car accident last March, was received yesterday by Mario Turco, director of education at the Algoma District School Board.

Further investigation revealed that the person referred to in the letter is Donna Connolly of Echo Bay, who retired tonight as the board's Central Algoma trustee.

In our photograph, Connolly is shown (right) receiving a certificate of recognition from board chair Wanda McQueen for her years of service.

**************************************************************** Director of Education, Albert Street, Sault Ste, Marie, Ontario.

Dear Director of Education:

I am writing this letter to you in hopes that you can help us locate a special person that helped us and thank her for us, perhaps at a meeting or function so that people know what a special person that she is.

On our way back to Toronto from a funeral in Thunder Bay in March, we were involved in an accident.

It had started to slush and rain and we lost control of our car and rolled over down into a big ditch between the two highways.

The car came to rest on its side and luckily none of us were hurt, but were quite shaken.

This lady, that was going towards the Sault immediately stopped to help us, while others drove by.

She climbed down into the ditch that was up to her knees in freezing water to help get myself, my husband, my daughter and her two children out of the car.

She then put us all in her warm van and waited with us the almost thirty minutes it took for the police to arrive.

You could tell that this women was freezing herself from being in that ice water for awhile, but kept on insisting that she was fine and was more worried about us.

Later on I found out from my husband that the police had told him that we were very lucky that the car had not rolled on top of us as we were trying to get out of the car.

All that I could think about was this lady and how she risked injury to herself trying to get five people that were in shock and hysterics out of the car.

I never got this lady's name, or if we did the shock has misplaced it, and we hope that you could help us in thanking this person for us and giving her a big hug for risking her life, when the five of us were in panic and hysterics.

We know that she has something to do with your Board because she had papers from a past meeting that she let the grandchildren write on to pass the time.

She lives somewhere around were the accident was, on Hwy 17 East in the Township of Laird within the Sault OPP District.

She also has a daughter that plays hockey because she flagged someone down to take her equipment to her and tell her that she would miss the game.

She must also have a big family because she had a carseat in the van and stated that she will probably always have a carseat and a van.

I hope that you can figure out who this person is and thank her publicly for us so that people know just how much this women risked while others drove by us.

If you cannot figure out who this person is could you please print this in a newsletter of some kind so that she can read it herself and know that we are so very grateful to her and God Bless Her.

Sincerely, Erb and Irene Harbour, Toronto, On

**************************************************************** EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this story was published, SooToday.com has received a second letter about Donna Connolly. To read it, please click here.