A small business owner was hit by multiple break-ins. Then the community stepped in to help

The joy of giving is much bigger than the happiness we feel when we receive a gift. The desire to give back to society often arises when one has faced rocky roads in their life's journey and received help that guided them. Such is the story of Blane Hartleb, the owner of Outrageous Audio in Portland, Oregon as reported by FOX 12. 'Outrageous Audio' is a business that provides car stereos, remote starts, security systems, video systems, light systems and more. When news about his store's break-in spread, a fellow business owner reached out Hartleb to help him get back on his feet. 

Running this business for over 37 years, Hartleb was devasted by the string of break-ins - one in his warehouse in September and the second in his store in October. In his Instagram post (@outrageous_audio) Hartleb said, "This is what happens when there are no consequences for crime and it's upsetting." Though no goods were stolen, the break-in left the store's glass door shattered and the security system damaged which may cost thousands of dollars to fix. Hearing about this situation, Matt, the owner of Town and Country Glass came forward to help fix Hartleb's doors. Speaking about Matt's goodwill gesture, Hartleb said, "He goes, you know, 'I just want to pay it forward, I own a small business here in Portland. And I want to take care of the glass.' So, I couldn’t believe it, all of us were shocked."

Touched by the help he received, Hartleb shared on Instagram how Matt's company instantly restored his business to normalcy and wrote, "There are a lot of good people in this world! Thank you to our friends @townandcountryglasspdx for being amazing members of the community. And thank you to everyone who is reaching out with kind words and support!" Matt's timely help was a ray of hope that inspired Hartleb to give back to his community. On asking his business's Facebook group for suggestions, he decided to make substantial contributions to causes that needed the most attention - children and pets. Hartleb handed over a considerable sum of more than $5000 to the non-profit animal shelter, Oregon Humane Society. Also, he has plans to soon contribute an equivalent amount to the St.Jude Children's Research Hospital. 

As another effort to pay it forward to his community Hartleb said, "Anybody who left us a review, we said that we’d give five dollars, whether the review was bad or not. We had 1,035 new reviews, so that’s $5,175 going to each." Despite going through a rough patch over the last few months, Hartleb chooses to learn from his experience and offer what he can to those in need. "You know, the bad things are going to happen. It’s okay, you don’t focus on them, let’s focus on the good things," he said. Hartleb's story is proof that positivity is contagious and can change the way we look at life. Matt's altruistic generosity lifted Hartleb's spirits giving him hope and optimism to help society.