Article Contributed on: 3/28/2008 1:04:52 PM
I'm writing to share my recent experience with the extraordinary kindness and generosity demonstrated by a member of our city's business community,
Myron and
Heidi Lewis, the owner/operators of Lewis' Fine Candies and Sweet Java Cafe.
On the morning of Wednesday, March 5, my husband and I took our newborn son out for a walk in our Wheat Ridge neighborhood. It happened to be the day Wheat Ridge and Arvada police were engaged in a search for
Justin K. Kautz, the "armed and dangerous" escapee from the Colorado Department of Corrections. The officers we encountered in the area agreed that our family should be safe to walk to the park at 41st and Harlan Street, but when we attempted to return to our home at 38th and Marshall, officers told us that both 41st and 38th avenues were closed and we would be unable to access our home.
Seeing us outside on the chilly March day with an infant, Myron Lewis invited us into his business, the Sweet Java Cafe at 6140 W. 38th Ave. He was warm and welcoming, and generously offered us shelter while we waited for the resolution to the events outside. As it turned out, the barricades were in place for several hours while police and SWAT team members worked to apprehend Kautz. During those hours, my family was safe and warm in the Lewis' cafe, while Myron and Heidi Lewis went above and beyond the expectations of good business and kind neighbors; they offered us coffee and food from their delicious bakery, despite the fact that we had no money with us, and no means to pay for our meal. The Lewises allowed us to stay as long as we needed, and treated us with such warmth and decency, I felt like a cherished guest instead of an accidental refugee.
When police reopened the roads and permitted us to return home, we said goodbye to Myron and Heidi, and thanked them for their generosity. However, I felt that their kindness to us was so great that this story should be shared. Human decency is alive and well in Wheat Ridge! My dictionary defines generosity as a willingness to give money, help or time freely; and nobility of character. We are fortunate to have business owners and neighbors with such integrity, character and true generosity as Myron and Heidi Lewis in our community.