A Trio of Detroit Cabdrivers Takes a Christmas Eve Gamble

Then there was Mark Gribble, one of the Montgomery County police officers who responded to the call. Realizing that the cabbies were broke, Officer Gribble gave them $22 from his wallet, then drove to a 7-Eleven and told three Cabdrivers there about James's plight. "I asked them in consideration of a fellow taxicab man from Detroit, Michigan, if they had any money to spare."

They donated $30, and Officer Gribble went to the ATM for another 40 bucks. Said Officer Gribble, a 15-year veteran: "They're leaving their home on Christmas Eve to help somebody else out, and they needed to get home, too. I just thought it was the right thing to do."

Said James: "I thought he was definitely a good Samaritan. I don't know any police officer in my city or any other that would do that. Give that man a commendation."

And who knows if James would have learned that he needed bypass surgery if he hadn't had an impromptu stress test at a River Road gas station.

Of course, there was one other lesson: "Get your money up front," James said.

Children's Hospital

Here's a way to be a good Samaritan: Make a tax-deductible gift to Children's National Medical Center. To donate, write a check or money order payable to "Children's Hospital" and mail it to Washington Post Campaign, P.O. Box 17390, Baltimore, Md. 21297-1390.

To donate online using a credit card, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/childrenshospital.

To contribute by phone using Visa or MasterCard, call 202-334-5100.

My e-mail: kellyj@washpost.com. My blog: voices.washingtonpost.com/commons.