Stephens City, Virginia—

This is a story of a Christmas gift given to a girl at the Stephens City McDonald’s by an elderly woman.

This is a story of that jar’s coins being emptied out and used by that young girl. The girl slowly filled the jar back up with coins by the following Christmas.

This is the story of another girl, the same age, living in Winchester and doing a fundraiser as part of her Batmitvah. The fundraiser was broadcast in local news. The fundraiser was for Parkinson’s and MS to which her parents were afflicted. 

The first girls family couldn’t figure out who to give the jar to but they had promised the old lady they would pass it on. They saw the fundraiser publicity. They had an uncle who had suffered with Parkinson’s and a Aunt with MS. They decided to secretly give jar to the second girl. Through the internet, they located the second girl’s home address. The first girl’s father was sent on the mission of putting the coin jar along with the Christmas Jar book, cross necklace and note on front porch of second girl.

Fast forward to summertime and these two girls join a summer theatre camp. They meet and become fast friends. The second girl invites the first to her Batmitzvah ceremony. During the ceremony the first girl hears the second girl’s public testimony about her Batmitzvah fundraiser. It is then that the first girl realizes that the second girl was the benefactor of her secret front porch delivery.

The girls are amazed at the fate of it all. The mothers decide to meet. Friends become family and strong bonds are built. 

This is a true story and happened about 5 years ago. A Christian and a Jewish family tied together by fate and a coin jar remain close friends to this day.

—Lisa Spencer