Locals honor the life of a friend

When Shayna Vincent died this year, her acts of kindness continued through those who loved her and wanted to remember her kindness. That’s why Cindy Ellis and a small group from Sunset Heights Neighborhood in McIntosh County decided they wanted to honor her by giving back to their own community as they gave out goodie boxes (with snacks, candy, hand warmers, sanitizer, etc.) to the McIntosh County Sheriff ’s Department this month.

Vincent, who was born on Valentine’s Day, 1985, at the Oklahoma Baptist Medical Center in OKC, spent most of her 38 years giving back to those around her. Vincent’s family had moved to Dallas in 1999 and after graduation she became a volunteer for Dallas CASA and the Crisis Suicide Hotline. She also worked at Caruth Police Institute as the Director of Professional Development where she implemented a program for first responders to help decrease the staggering number of suicide deaths by law enforcement.

When she passed away in September of this year from breast cancer, she left behind a legacy of giving, even teaching her two young daughters to give back on their birthdays with the Be Kind Birthday program.

Shayla was such an inspiration to everyone she met,” Ellis said. “She wanted to make the world a better place. She strongly believed our beliefs don’t make us better people, our actions do. So we want to honor her by continuing her motto to ‘Be kind.’ Because she loved to help her community, we wanted to help ours and thank the officers for keeping our county safe. We know it’s not an easy job but we are thankful for our peacemakers.”

Ellis plans to continue random acts of kindness in honor of Vincent.