Sonny’s Diamonds & Jewelry in Denver recently assisted one hopeless romantic by donating an engagement ring so that he could propose to his girlfriend.

Corey Fontenot, 26, gained media attention by standing on the side of the road to ask for money to put toward a ring. Although he is employed, Fontenot did not have enough money to purchase a ring for his long-distance girlfriend.

Standing outside with a sign explaining his dilemma, Fontenot ended up raking in about $80. “I saw the story on the local news and thought I’d help this kid out,” Michael Nedler, owner of Sonny’s, says.

Corey Fontenot (Photo courtesy of 9News)



Nedler found Fontenot through Facebook and gave him a round-cut diamond in a simple white gold solitaire setting. The stone weighs just under a carat. “Corey was very grateful and even tried to give us the $80 he collected,” Nedler says.

(Photo courtesy of Sonny’s Diamonds & Jewelry)

But others weren’t so impressed with Nedler’s benevolence. “I didn’t think my actions would be controversial,” Nedler says, referring to some of the comments on 9News’s Facebook Page. “However, it seems like no good deed goes unpunished.”

“Pathetic. In the good old days people worked for what they wanted!” said one commenter. “Maybe he could have afforded a ring if he had been at work, instead of standing on the side of the road begging.”

While many negative comments were hurled in Fontenot’s direction, one commenter did praise Nedler’s actions: “That was a very kind thing you did. You truly are an awesome human being!”

So what do you think? Is Fontenot’s story a statement about the power of love and kindness of strangers, or simply a reflection of a poor economy?