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LOS ANGELES — A Utah man's acts of kindness will be honored at a book launch in Los Angeles.
After Daniel Smith lost his job, he decided to focus on others by committing small acts of kindness, like giving care bags to people who are homeless and paying for other people's meals. His story was picked up by national media outlets and caught the attention of Dete Meserve, an author who is getting ready to publish her novel "Good Sam," which tells the story of an anonymous good Samaritan.
"I heard about Daniel's 30 days of kindness in an article online and immediately thought he was like the 'Good Sam' in the novel: someone doing extraordinary good without expectation of reward or notoriety," Meserve wrote in an email. "So I reached out to him and told him I thought he was a real-life Good Sam and told him that I wanted to spread the word about people like him who were doing good deeds."
She struck up a friendship with Smith online and asked if she could honor him at her book launch on June 22. The airfare for Smith and his wife to attend the invitation-only event at the Cafe Pinot, near the Los Angeles Public Library, is being covered by Meserve and another "Good Sam."
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Daniel Smith devoted his month to helping others after he lost his job, and now his random acts of kindness may continue past that deadline.In a fun coincidence, Meserve said June 22 is the wedding anniversary of Smith and his wife Melissa.
"I asked a friend and television producer if he would like to be a 'Good Sam' and offer Daniel and Melissa a place to stay while they were in L.A.," Meserve wrote. "He said yes. One 'Good Sam' truly inspires another!"
Smith will be presented with cash at the event to help him continue his good works. Meserve said she has been working to collect donations from fellow good Samaritans to give him.
Cathy O'Grady, a woman from Boston, will also be honored at the book launch. She carried out 318 acts of kindness, like leaving blankets on benches with gift cards, in memory of her friend's husband who battled cancer for 318 days.
"Good Sam" is Meserve's first novel. It is a fictional story that follows a TV news reporter who is assigned to cover a story about an anonymous good Samaritan who left $100,000 in cash on the front porches of 10 people.
Meserve is also the president of the film and production company Wind Dancer Films. The company has created and produced shows like "Home Improvement."
