When Kathy Lane was driving in San Diego earlier this month, she spotted firefighters on a corner, running a fill-the-boot drive to raise money for a facility that helps burn survivors.
She quickly searched for some spare change in her car and dropped her donation into the boot. What she didn't realize at the time is that she also accidentally "donated" something else: a cherished diamond ring.
But Lane's inadvertent gift led to her offering a different contribution to San Diego's Burn Institute thanks to the outreach by the department.
"Nope, we've never seen anything like that before," said Capt. Tony Tyquiengco. The ring wasn't found in the boot he was holding during the fundraiser, but he was among the firefighters present for the discovery.
And once the firefighters caught a glimpse of the diamond ring that had been in the boot, their reaction was pretty simple: begin cracking jokes.