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Local samaritan donates R8 000 between four foundations

“When my daughter picked up the envelope and looked inside, we were shocked to find a large sum of money in the envelope, totalling R8 000,” says the Samaritan.

Certainly, no legacy is so rich as honesty.

Living transparently and honestly is one of the most rewarding things one can teach others by example.

Something Kyalami-based resident and Mrs SA semi-finalist, Terisa Hsu-Lee knows pretty well.

The 39-year-old recently donated money to four non-profit organisations – Jessica Matheson Foundation, Impilo Collection Foundation, The She Pow Her Foundation, and Southern Africa Animal Cancer Association.

Hsu-Lee has an interesting anecdote about how she got the money she donated.

While on an exclusive five-day cruise in Cape Town – Queens Cruise, Hsu-Lee discovered an envelope containing R8 000.

According to Hsu-Lee, while disembarking from the cruise, as she was about to board a taxi ride, her daughter noticed an envelope on the floor and thought it was rubbish and asked if she should quickly throw it into the rubbish bin.

“When my daughter picked up the envelope and looked inside, we were shocked to find a large sum of money in the envelope, totaling R8 000,” said Hsu-Lee.

On arrival back at their apartment in Cape Town, Hsu-Lee found the foreign exchange slip with the money and called the number.

Kyalami resident Terisa Hsu-Lee.

“It turned out that the foreign exchange slip number was for the H&M department store. After numerous calls, I eventually got transferred to the bank service advisor. I gave the date and time of the foreign exchange transaction, which was shown on the slip. I left her details for the bank service advisor to inform the owner of the lost money,” said Hsu-Lee.

On April 29, she received a phone call from the owner, Katherine McNally, who was surprised the money was found.

McNally was on a two-week cruise from Cape Town to the UK and only received the message that her money was found after arriving in the UK.

“As I am a Mrs SA semi-finalist, I am now a public figure and a proud representative of South Africa. It is vitally imperative that I represent my country in the best light. Therefore, it was of high importance to hunt down the owner of the money and inform her that the money was found and not lost or stolen,” added Hsu-Lee.

While in communication with McNally, Hsu-Lee told McNally that she is a Mrs SA semi-finalist and sent her detailed information surrounding the foundations she works with via email, asking if McNally would like to donate some of the money to the organisations.

In her response via email, McNally said, “You are a terrific ambassador for your country and obviously have a huge amount of energy and drive.

“Thank you for offering to return the money. It is uncommon to find someone so honest. The four foundations you work with are tremendous and close to our hearts. We do not want any of the money to be returned to us. Please divide it equally between the four foundations.”

Hsu-Lee split the money and donated it to the foundations.

Details: Follow Terisa on social media at terisahsulee

Related Article:

https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/321395/pioneers-excel-at-the-science-expo/

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