Big spinner, big winner, big surprise

Amid all the stories about state Senate races, boycotts of businesses and council member appointments was a little bit of a break last week from the routine of heavy news that you need to read to be informed about the community.

“Lottery winner keeps eye on prize” told the story of Huntington Beach resident Stacy Stamm, who late last month won $120,000 in the California Lottery. She went on the TV show “The Big Spin,” nearly landed her turn on the $1 million mark, and eventually pocketed that tidy sum of money to finish her television appearance.

But did Stamm want to talk-up her small-screen showcase?

Not at all. Instead, the nutrition-services supervisor for Estancia High School in Costa Mesa spelled out a message on the importance of healthy eating for students. It was a refreshing moment of calm and genuineness, projecting a persona not caught up in the trappings of life -- although Stamm did go out and buy a boat, Big Spin, which she will berth in Huntington Harbour. But, after all, Stamm did just win $120,000. It’s easy to cut her some slack for the purchase, especially given her positive attitude and her dedication to a job that helps children.

It’s also easy to miss a story like Stamm’s when so much other news can capture our attention -- both near to home and across the nation and the globe. But here is a reminder that, more often than not, it is regular folk and not the big heroes or the oversized personalities who make a difference in our community. It is the teachers, the volunteers and the nurses.

But it is also those who get even less recognition -- someone who simply goes a little beyond what’s expected, or someone who makes a simple gesture of good will -- that bind the best communities together.

Too bad they all can’t win $120,000. They deserve it.