St. Charles Man Pays It Forward on Camcorder Reward

Sometimes good news keeps getting better.

Bryan Ketter was strolling along on Sunday, Oct. 7, the last day of Scarecrow Fest, when he came across a camcorder on the sidewalk in downtown St. Charles.

A week later, Joe Bosco contacted St. Charles Patch with a plea for help — he and his wife, Gina, of Woodridge, have enjoyed making the annual trek to St. Charles Scarecrow Fest, but this year, something went wrong. They lost their Sony Camcorder during at the festival, and the device’s memory card held the videos they had taken just weeks earlier when they took their two young children to Disney World.

The loss was heartbreaking — the video held memories they had hoped to cherish for the rest of their lives.

Eager to help, St. Charles Patch posted a story about the Bosco’s loss and their plea for help. Joe was anxious to get back the memory card, if nothing else, because memories like that simply cannot be replaced.

Less than four hours after the story was posted on St. Charles Patch — and on our Facebook page, Bosco received a call from someone named Bryan, who “said he has the camera! He said he saw the post on THE PATCH and called me right away,” Joe wrote in an email late Sunday night. “Thank you so much for helping us. … My wife and I are so happy, relieved and grateful for your help! We truly cannot express our gratitude enough.”

Well, Bryan Ketter said the Boscos did indeed express their gratitude.

“... We were happy to get the Bosco family their Disney pictures,” he wrote in an email to Patch on Tuesday. “Joe's generosity was over the top, he left an envelope with $175. To pay that forward we are going to give the $100 to charity. The $75 is a gift card for which we are going to use to take a friend who watches our girls after school from time to time. The Patch has provided a valuable community service.”

Bryan said he is paying the $100 gift forward — to the Izaak Walton League of America. The 90-year-old conservation organization works to protect the nation’s natural heritage and to improve outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans.

Related:

• Patch Helps Family Get Back Its Video of Disney Trip
• Family Hopes of Return of Video Memories Lost at Fest

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