Jeff Colvin was patrolling the neighborhood. This had become a daily routine. But when he looked towards the Scales’ home, he always noticed a tiny hand in the window. But this time, the child wasn’t at her usual spot. For some reason, this made Colvin uneasy.
Klynn Scales was born and raised in a rough neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. This made it difficult for her to succeed in anything. The nine-year-old girl went hungry most of the time. But that wasn’t even the biggest concern that she had in her young life. She wasn’t home alone.
She lived in a horrible neighborhood and her mother was rarely home. Worst of all, Scales had two younger brothers. This was a huge responsibility for any child to deal with. She simply had no choice. To keep her brothers from starving, she had to do something that was unthinkable.
The situation was dire. So, Scales had no other option than to steal. This is something that no child should ever have to think about, but she did. She went to a local 7-11 convenience store and tried taking food for herself and her siblings. But as if the guilt weren’t bad enough, cops discovered what she did.
The Kansas City Police Department was now aware of Scales and the hardships her family was going through. So, officer Jeff Colvin took it upon himself to check up on the family every now and then. He didn’t realize his decision would prove to be invaluable to the family.
Scales didn’t know the officer’s name, but she would always wave at him through her window as he drove past her house, and he would wave right back at her too. In fact, each time he passed, she waved with tons of excitement. As this turned into a daily routine, the bond growing between the officer and the little girl grew stronger.
“Through all the bad situations,” said a grownup Scales, “I would just picture him saying that he was here for us– and that if we ever needed him, he would be right there. Those words would come to me during the worst times of my childhood life.” But did he keep his promise?
Her mom was never around, so Scales had only one person she could count on. It was the officer who drove by her house every morning. “He was the one person that I trusted in my life as a kid,” said Scales. But one day, the officer drove by, and she didn’t wave at him. So, he got worried.
The officer was concerned, so he decided to walk up to her door and check on her. It’s a good thing he did too. When he opened the door, he found her on the ground, and she appeared to be having a tough time breathing. He rushed her to the hospital, but worried she might not make it.
The little girl suffered from severe malnutrition. Immediately after being discharged from the hospital, her family moved her away to Texas. The little girl never got the officer’s name, and he never got hers. Years later, Scales grew up and had kids. But she never stopped thinking about the cop.
Using social media, Scales asked for help in finding the officer who saved her life that fateful day when she was a child. Despite her best efforts, time went by and she still had no clues. She had just about given up hope in finding the officer. Then, she read a comment.
The comment came from Sergeant Jennifer Jones of the Kansas City Police Department in Missouri. She knew who Scales was looking for, and arranged for the two of them to finally meet after so many years. But would the officer, who undoubtedly saved many lives, remember the little girl who used to wave at him every morning?
She had nothing to worry about. He actually “thought about her, and wondered whatever happened with her.” He was excited to meet her. So, the two of them agreed on a time and place. Then, when Scales saw him, she started crying. And she had a lot to tell her childhood “guardian angel” about her life.
It turns out that Scales is now a police officer in Houston. She had followed in her “guardian angel’s” footsteps. But now that she knew who he was, she got a personalized bracelet of his name with the words: “A True Hero.” This served as a reminder as to why she became a cop. And his influence had done so much more.
Stories of others who were helped by Jeff Colvin poured in after the Kansas City Police posted the touching story on Facebook. This made him feel great about his decision to become a police officer. But Scales had one more thing to add in regards to all the positive comments about Colvin.
“Jeff Colvin is not just a hero to me,” said Scales, “but my guardian angel also. He was there when I had no one… I hope one day I can become someone’s hero, or make a positive impact like you did mine.” This just goes to show how a simple gesture like a wave can make a world of difference.