Two kids require a lot of work to raise. There is also always more food to prepare, laundry to wash, and homework to check, regardless of how well-behaved your children are. Therefore, having a companion to divide the duties with is wonderful.
But sadly for Bridget Stevens, that wasn’t feasible the previous year. Bobby, her soldier husband, was on deployment at the time.
She, therefore, called a nearby heating firm for assistance when she recently returned home with her sons to a very cold house and a broken furnace. She was relieved to speak with Paul Betlyn, the owner, as it was a chilly winter evening in her Pennsylvania hometown.

At first, Bridget reached out to her husband Bobby who was deployed overseas with the National Guard, via text for help. He coached her through some potential fixes, but nothing worked. So, Bridget called Betlyn Heating and Cooling in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.
Betlyn also offered many suggestions over the phone as he answered but still, none of Paul’s advice seemed to fix the problem, and even though he just had a knee replacement and wasn’t supposed to be doing any work, the kind-hearted, 65-year-old repairman drove to Bridget’s home.
As Paul was working on the furnace, Bridget chatted with him. She told him she would normally work on fixing the furnace alongside her husband, but he’s currently on deployment.
Paul eventually got the furnace back up and running and when Bridget went to pay Paul for his services, he handed her a receipt with a handwritten note. She was pleasantly surprised when she read the note.
In a Facebook post, Bridget shared the heartwarming incident, on the post she said:
“This is a bit lengthy, but I just want to take a minute to acknowledge Betlyn Heating and Cooling. I came home with the boys to a cold house that was 50 degrees. When turning up the thermostat was not kicking the furnace on, I called Betlyn’s, thinking I’d get a machine and have to leave a message, then run to the store for space heaters. Ultimately, Paul, the owner, answered and was very patient as he walked me through different things to do to try to get it back on. When none of that worked, he said he needed to come to the house to fix it.
“As he was working on the furnace, we got to talking about Bobby and the deployment. I had mentioned in passing that I tried to figure it out with my husband, but since he’s deployed and couldn’t see it, he wouldn’t know what to do.
“After he was finished, I was a little apprehensive about how much it was going to cost. He handed me the slip that is in this photo. When I tried to give him any money at all, he said that the $1 was a joke, and to thank my husband for his service.
“So, thanks Paul Betlyn. My house is nice and warm thanks to you.”
Bridget thought Paul’s assistance was above and beyond. She told ABC News:
“I was completely overwhelmed and in shock when Paul handed me the slip, I didn’t really know what to say, and I still have a hard time finding the words to truly express my appreciation.” But Betlyn didn’t stop there, either.
Paul set up a “Military Deployment Kisses Fund” to raise money to send families overseas to meet with loved ones during extended deployments, after his encounter with Bridget. Paul stated in the GoFundMe campaign’s description that because Bridget’s deployed husband only gets two four-day passes each year, she and other families just like her must travel abroad to visit them.
“We are raising money to send these families oversees to visit during those long deployments. At this time we are final goal is to send families like hers from each state,” Paul wrote.
And in just three days he managed to raise close to $5,000. It also didn’t slow down. Over $17,000 was raised very soon. Paul Betlyn claims he is not a hero, though. He said, “I’m not the hero here.”
Adding that he was simply paying it forward and continuing a family tradition, he explained:
“My grandfather was a milkman during the Great Depression and many times he’d go to the door and the woman didn’t have any money for milk. But, the baby was crying in the background. So, he’d put the milk on the table.
“And, when I heard about Bridget with her husband being deployed…I put the milk on the table,” Paul said.
It’s a simple yet sweet story, but one that everyone should see that it’s so good to know there are wonderful people in the world like this.
Watch the video below for more details: