Destinee and Paul Klyne are a couple from Penticton, British Columbia who had planned to treat themselves with a vacation to Paradise, California earlier this month. They had rented an AirBNB for their stay there, but when the wildfires hit the area, the cabin they had rented burned to the ground.

Most people would have chosen to cancel their trip, but Destinee and Paul decided to follow through with it and use their vacation to help others. They found somewhere to stay in Sacramento, and they woke up early every morning to drive to Chico to help victims of the wildfires. They did things like get gift cards for people who were being evacuated, and offered their services to anyone who needed help.

“It is so nice to be able to bring forth the Canadian spirit of giving, of compassion and generosity,” said Destinee. “Especially in the times that we’re in now, with the political (climate), it’s kind of nice to say, ‘You are our American neighbours and we love you.’”

Destinee added that both she and Paul have gotten a lot in return for their kindness.

“I have had more hugs from strangers than I have had in my entire life,” she said.

Tragedies like the wildfires are incredibly sad, but the one positive thing about these disasters is that they often bring out a giving side of human beings that we rarely see these days. We applaud people like Destinee and Paul for giving up their time to help those who have been affected by these wildfires!