An agent for change
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer

JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Ryan Chiste, 22, of Allentown hopes to find who misplaced this hunk of change Oct. 23.

ALLENTOWN - Did you or someone you know lose a pile of money?

On his way home from work Oct. 23, Allentown resident Ryan Chiste, 22, did what many hope to do but rarely ever get the chance to. When dropping off a few co-workers, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye amid the leaves and cigarette butts in the street. To his surprise, he found a pile of money.

Upon his discovery, Chiste brushed away most of the debris, swept the pile into a dustpan and toted the money home in a garbage can.

At first he thought about putting the dough toward purchasing new landscaping equipment for his business, Shades of Green. But on second thought, he contemplated whether someone who really needed the money had lost it.

"If I lost this, I would want someone to try to track me down," Chiste said, adding that he has not counted the money but has it piled on a kitchen countertop.

"In a nutshell, I want to be honest and try to help someone out," he said.

The 2003 graduate of Allentown High School and volunteer firefighter said he's always been a community-oriented and civicminded person.

"I think I am the way that I am because of the way my parents [Barbara and Raymond] brought me up," he said. "They taught me that if you are honest and straightforward, you will always have a lot of friends and you will always be happy."

If Chiste is unable to locate the person who lost the money, he has decided to donate the findings to the Hope Fire Company in Allentown, where he has volunteered for the past four years.

"The fire company is always in need of donations," Chiste said.

Chiste withheld information regarding his find so he would be able to determine the rightful owner.

Anyone who may have information regarding the money can call Chiste at (609) 638-3352.