In December 2012, Patrick Morgan, a cleaning service worker at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, spotted an abandoned iPad on a bench next to an airport bar. The iPad had $13,000 stuffed in its case so he turned it in immediately.
“I opened it first, and I saw all the money, and I quickly closed it back up,” said Morgan.
When a frazzled owner returned to the bar for the iPad, Morgan told him where to find it. The grateful iPad owner gave Morgan a $60 reward, which he passed on to a homeless woman and a struggling cleaning employee.
That honesty and kindness paid off for Morgan who was honored in a recognition ceremony in January by the Broward County Aviation Department and his employer, Sunshine Cleaning Systems. He was awarded a plaque and $625, the equivalent of a week of a paid vacation. This time, he said he would keep the money.
The Miami HEAT continued honoring Morgan’s act of kindness as part of Random Acts of HEAT presented by kia on January 25 at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Morgan was treated to a limousine ride, tickets to the game and dinner at Dewar’s Clubhouse. In addition, he received an in-game acknowledgement on-court together with a gift that included a $1,000 check for him and his family.
“It’s just a good feeling to know that I returned it and that’s the bottom line. I wasn’t looking for anything,” said an emotional Morgan.