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'A miracle.' Hermitage Goodwill manager tracks down school-issued laptop after accidentally donated

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HERMITAGE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A family went to the Goodwill in Hermitage with a boatload of donations, including a school-issued laptop they had no intention of donating.

"It happened during a move," said Shari Koeper, the grandmother of the girl with the donated laptop. "They had moved over that weekend, and they had put some things aside to be brought here to Goodwill and somehow my granddaughter's backpack got put in there."

When Monday rolled around, the student was without the laptop she needed for virtual school.

"They tore the house up and could not find it. They went back to the old house to see if it was left there. No, it wasn't there," Koeper said.

Realizing it likely went to Goodwill, Koeper called the store and spoke to the manager.

"She was absolutely wonderful. I had to call relay because I can't hear on the phone. So I called relay and she acted like she did it everyday. A lot times people get frustrated with it and she was just so sweet and calm and said she would look for it," Koeper said.

Store manager Crystal Moore searched for the pink and white backpack for hours.

"They had to find it and she needed it for her school work, much less she would have to pay if they didn't get it back," said Crystal Moore.

Moore's store was closed for the Easter holiday, which meant donations from the weekend had likely not left the building.

"It was either going to be here in the store or it was going to be on that truck to go to a different location," Moore said.

Koeper didn't expect Moore to devote so much time to this search.

"She worked until she found it. We're so, so grateful. It really was a miracle, and she had already missed two days of school so this was really a gift," Koeper said.

The manager was happy to find the computer for the family and said she would search just as hard for anyone else.

"Everybody has went above and beyond to say thank you, but it's something we try to do everyday that people don't realize," Moore said.