C.R. couple helped teen in trouble in France

My 17-year-old daughter was 48 hours into her two-week trip to France when she realized her debit card wasn't working. With a total of $75 in cash and no solution to the debit card problem in sight, two angels from Cedar Rapids stepped in.

After spending the morning at the bank trying to get this issue resolved, my sister called to tell me that her friends, Jack and Juli Hardin, were in Paris and wanted to help. They walked to her hotel at 10:30 at night and handed her almost $500 to cover her time in France. Her debit card never did work and without the loan from the Hardins, I really don't know what we would've done.

I grew up in Iowa and know all about Iowans being the best people on earth, but when you are in a bind and people you don't even really know step in to help, it is one of the greatest things ever!

Until now, I'd always just thought of Juli as my sister's friend who has the awesome bakery in Marion (Jules Bakery). Now I know she's more than just a talented baker; she and her husband are truly lifesavers!

Penny Sitz

St. Paul, Minn.