John Wayne is alive and well and helping his neighbours whenever he can.

Of course I'm not talking about John Wayne, the actor. I'm taking about today's Neighbourhood Hero who, although nominated by five of his neighbours, prefers to remain anonymous.

"Go ahead and write your column if you want," he said, "but please don't use my name." Then, after a short pause, he smiled and added, "Why don't you call me John Wayne; he was always one of my favorites."

Our "John Wayne" prefers to do things quietly, without fanfare.

"Anything I do, I do in kindness and love for my neighbours," he told me. "I'm not looking for a pat on the back."

Those involved with the 7-11 Club, might recognize "John" from the four years he spent there as a volunteer. Others might know him as the man that comes to their door once a year collecting for the Kidney Foundation.

"It used to be that when people in our neighbourhood came home and found berries, zucchinis or other treats on their doorstep, they didn't know who might have put them there," Carol and Bud Roworth told me, "but over the years, we've learned that 'John Wayne' probably did it."

They went on to talk about the time their old Christmas tree was mysteriously gathered up and recycled before they could get around to dealing with it themselves and the time their next-door neighbours came home to find someone had aerated their lawn.

John Morden and his wife Dineke first met "John Wayne" several years ago after he had retired from the Coop and began delivering their Harbour City Star.

Soon after that, Morden was diagnosed with cancer and, after a heroic battle with the disease, passed away.

"After John died," Dineke says, "Mr. Wayne' kept an eye on me and helped whenever he could.

"Ice cream pails full of blackberries would appear on my front step and kindling, old cedar shakes and wood blocks would appear by my woodpile. So I was all set with those things ... probably for years to come."

Another time, "Wayne" stopped by to see if Dineke needed her garden tilled and found her starting to move newly delivered firewood from her laneway to a spot in her back yard. The next day when she came home, the driveway was clear and all the wood was neatly piled in the back yard ... dry wood separated from the wet.

She also told me about her neighbours across the street who were in poor health. "John Wayne" knew them too and turned up frequently to help with their garden.

Ian and Carol Connett live next door to "Wayne" and they too have stories to tell.

"He's just a wonderful man," Carol exclaimed. "You leave for work in the morning after a wind storm and there's branches all over your lawn. Then, when you come home, everything's gone."

From small tasks to big, the stories of Wayne's generous gifts of time and energy continued. Fresh strawberries, a Connett favorite, magically appearing on the front doorstep and another elderly couple's hedge, grass and eves troughs being regularly trimmed, cut and cleaned.

The stories were endless but instead of telling more, let's think about the impact our "John Wayne" could be having in the world.

Imagine what would happen if each of his neighbours passed on these simple acts of kindness to people they meet ... and then if those people passed them on again ... and others then again.

And you know what? I believe that's exactly what's happening.

One person really can make a difference.