‘Keep being kind': Kansas City bartender's act of kindness saves woman's life

Yahoo

2 days ago

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A local bartender named Heath is touted for saving a woman's life.
'I said 'what happened?' He said 'a woman came in, she was stressed, and I was nice,'' Colleen Kelly, co-owner of Kelly's Westport Inn, told FOX4.
In a message written on her receipt, the woman thanked Heath for saving her life – all because he was kind.
'I'd like to think it's this trickle-down effect,' Kelly said. 'If we treat them well, and they treat each other well, and they treat the customers well…hopefully that customer treats somebody else well.'
Kelly said she's worked for the business for 17 years.
'But my family has been here for almost 80 years, and we really have lasted because of the incredible staff,' she said. 'We are really a place for everybody.'
Storm damage reported across the Kansas City metro
The business first started in 1947, under a different name (Westport Inn), but it quickly grew to the likeness of Colleen Kelly's grandfather, she says, who it was soon named after.
'My grandfather started here in 1947,' she said. 'He became an owner the same year.'
Last week, Colleen Kelly took to social media to share an experience between a stranger and a staff member of hers.
'Keep being kind folks,' Kelly said in the Facebook post. 'Ya just never know…'
She said the post has received a lot of positive feedback.
'Tons of comments and just a lot of people reminding other people something really small can be something huge for someone else,' she said. 'There's a lot of negativity out there; there are days that it can feel overwhelming. Maybe sometimes just go to your local pub and put down your phone and have a conversation with somebody.'
She also said, since the post hit the internet, customers and former employees of the bar have shared with her their experiences, too, about meaningful conversations they've had and their lasting impacts.
'This isn't just happening at Kelly's; this is all over,' she told FOX4.
Kelly said she plans on framing the receipt behind the bar.
To the woman who wrote 'your kindness saved my life thank you' on the delicate sheet of paper, Kelly wants you to know:
'We are really glad you are alive.'
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