The Christmas holiday was over, but Shawano County residents had one more gift to deliver.
The gift was a communitywide gesture of compassion for a homeless woman who got stranded in Shawano this holiday season while a snowstorm was bearing down on her.
One after another, residents dipped into their pockets and contributed enough money to buy the woman a bus ticket back to La Crosse, where she lives.
Jasmine Kranz, who arrived safely in La Crosse after a difficult journey through the storm, expressed gratitude and admiration Thursday for those who rescued her in Shawano.
“I love your people,” she said Thursday morning by telephone. “I’m the luckiest person to be alive.”
Residents who donated to help Kranz said they, too, were grateful that a stranger passed through town this Christmas to remind everyone of the holiday season’s most important message: It is better to give than to receive.
Michael Thorne, who donated $20 for the bus ticket, said he was delighted to offer assistance when he heard about the stranded woman’s dilemma, especially while the snowstorm was closing in.
“It was an amazing story,” Thorne said. “It made my whole Christmas.”
Kranz’ ordeal began when she traveled from La Crosse last week to spend Christmas with a boyfriend and his family who live in Shawano. The holiday went well enough, but then the couple had an argument and Kranz found herself on the street with no money.
As the region’s first major snowstorm developed Monday afternoon, Kranz, 22, made her way to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department to ask for assistance getting back to La Crosse.
Sheriff Adam Bieber, who already had his hands full preparing his department for the winter storm, talked with the young woman and could tell she was genuinely in trouble. She was not a panhandler or a scam artist trying to make a quick buck, Bieber recalled.
“She didn’t seem like she was trying to abuse the system,” he said. “She just needed to get back home.”
After struggling to figure out how he could help, the sheriff decided to reach out to a group of people he knew would respond: the people of Shawano County. Using the Facebook social media site, Bieber asked people to donate toward the cost of a $79 bus ticket to La Crosse.
Donations began coming in immediately — $10 and then $20 and then $40.
“It was heartwarming,” Bieber said.
Lisa Spreeman, a volunteer firefighter, drove to the bank to withdraw $40 that she could donate. When she told the bank teller what the money was for, the teller reached into her own pocket and handed over another $5.
Spreeman was proud to see Shawano County residents stepping forward with kindness toward a stranger. Spreeman said she never met Kranz either, but she understood what it was like be a young woman struggling to get along.
“Hopefully she’ll find her way,” Spreeman said.
By the time Kranz boarded the bus late Monday afternoon, she had enough money to pay for her ticket and then some — about $130 altogether.
The bus ride through the snowstorm was long and difficult. Kranz eventually got back to La Crosse and returned to the homeless shelter where she has been living. She hopes someday to get into nursing school and pursue a career in health care.
Safe and warm in the La Crosse shelter, Kranz said she will not soon forget the people in Shawano who lifted her up with their selflessness and generosity.
“I would say thanks very much for helping. Thank you so very much,” she said. “I would’ve never made it.”
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