Free Trip to London for Woman Who Helped a Stranger

Sherilyn Joseph is the kind of person who would give a total stranger the coat off her back.

She proved it last winter while working at World Duty Free Group’s gift shop at Tampa International Airport. It seems an airline passenger from Plant City lost her coat and gloves before boarding a plane bound for New York City. With temperatures anticipated in the below-freezing range at her destination, the woman’s concern level rose as the clock ticked down on boarding time.

Lynette Kozelenko enlisted airport personnel to help her in the search, but the missing items were nowhere to be found.

That’s when Joseph, a Tampa resident, stepped up and offered the total stranger her own jacket.

“I just felt that I should do something to help her,” Joseph was quoted in a media release as saying. “I wanted her to be warm and have a blessed trip.”

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That act of generosity has earned Joseph the title of North American Associate of the Year from World Duty Free Group. The honor comes along with a free trip to London, complete with $1,000 in spending cash.

“Ms. Joseph’s selflessness is an example for us all, and we are delighted to be honoring her today,” Padraig Drennan, the company’s president, was quoted in the release as saying.

Drennan traveled to Tampa last week to present Joseph with the honors.

As for Kozelenko, she’s still blown away by Joseph’s action.

“Her random act of kindness, her voice of comfort and her quick response with such a selfless act speak volumes,” she said of Joseph.

Joseph doesn’t think she did anything special, but she’s thrilled with the honor.

“I enjoy helping others and providing comfort to those in need,” she said.

Photo courtesy of World Duty Free

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