'Worth its weight in gold:' Challenge coins honor good deeds in Clayton

In the town of Clayton, no good deed goes unnoticed.

An honor usually reserved for military members and law enforcement, challenge coins are being given to community members who stop and help someone in need.

Willie Henderson was just one of dozens of people driving by Glen Laurel Road in May.

“I looked over and I saw this car sitting off on the trailer on the side of the ground,” he said. “I came up, I walked over and asked the officer, I said, ‘Officer, I got a big jack in the truck, can I help you?’”

Henderson and other Good Samaritans got to work and helped the officer.

“I didn’t know at the time he was the chief. He had a black shirt on and he was real cool,” Henderson said.

Henderson thought that was the end, until Chief Blair Myhand showed up at his house with a gold challenge coin.

“He gave me a nice little coin,” Henderson said.

Myhand has been with the Clayton Police Department for about a year, bringing his Army background with him to the job.

“In the military, this is a common thing, these challenge coins,” Myhand said.

Myhand decided to give each member of the Clayton Police Department staff two challenge coins.

“I said one is for you to keep and one is for you to give out, and if you give one out, I’ll give you another one and I’ll keep giving you them until we run out of them,” he said.

The department may run out of the coins sooner than expected.

So far, about a dozen coins have been distributed across Clayton, including some for three sisters who helped return a purse they found at Walmart and for others who were seen doing nice things.

“It’s worth its weight in gold, really,” Myhand said. “You can’t buy that type of response from the community.”

Henderson said he treasures the challenge coin and carries the one he received with him.

“It means a lot. It shows that someone cares and if we all care a little bit, we all help a little bit of the world be a better place. That’s what life is about,” he said.

The town of Clayton posts photos of the challenge coin recipients on social media, and the response they’ve received has been incredible with thousands of shares per post spreading the good news.