TROPHY CLUB — A Trophy Club crossing guard with a contagious smile will have an unforgettable spring break thanks to some local residents.
During a March 4 Town Council meeting, Alvin Peters, 72, was awarded a check for more than $2,600, a vacation package and a gift certificate for $900 of professional photographs for his family.The vacation package includes six nights on the concierge floor of the Hilton Dallas Southlake Hotel with breakfast included; gift cards for dining at Truluck's, BRIO, Copeland's of New Orleans and ROCKFISH Seafood Grill; various lunch gift cards at restaurants on Southlake Town Square; gift cards to Harkins Theatres and Barnes & Noble; and a $200 American Express gift card.The community’s generosity all started from a Facebook post by Tracy Hunter, a resident who drives by Peters’ intersection daily."Putting this out there. The crossing guard at Durango and Parkview is the BEST! Every day his smiles and waving hello warms our hearts."Hunter had no idea what the post would lead to, she simply wanted to acknowledge Peters’ warm smile and friendly wave.“Every day I drive by a certain intersection ... I find myself smiling all the way home,” she said. “Every day my daughter and I say, ‘He is awesome,’ every day this man warms our hearts.”Community members soon began commenting on the Facebook post, with similar sentiments for Peters, who is also referred to as Mr. Alvin.“You are always the highlight of our day, no matter what kind of mood I am in, when I see you standing there with that beautiful smile and waving, it just makes my day better every time.”Other comments were much of the same, describing what a blessing it is to have “Mr. Alvin” be a part of the community. Some wanted to donate money to Peters so two days after Hunter posted the comment on Facebook, an online fundraiser was set up at www.gofundme.com/MrAlvin.Hunter said donations began coming in continuously so she asked for some help and a “Mr. Alvin” committee was formed to handle the funds.The online fundraiser quickly grew, with total donations of $4,220. Many donations on the website were anonymous and in amounts of $25-$200. One donation was $500.“Your smile, simple wave and love for our children is very special,” Hunter told Peters during the presentation. “The citizens of Trophy Club would like to give back to you.”Councilwoman Jeannette Tiffany said Hunter’s timing on this project couldn’t have been better.“This is what I call Trophy Club skunkworks,” Tiffany said.Many businesses use the word skunkworks for a group of people who, in order to achieve unusual results, “think outside of the box” and work on a project in a way that is outside of the usual rules.“It is someone getting a hold of something with a passion and they go out there and make it happen and they bring the community together in doing so,” she said. “It’s about sharing love in Trophy Club.”Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
