Fort Myers couple receive Servants of Peace award from Vatican

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A Fort Myers couple received the Servants of Peace award from the Vatican at an event held at the Fiddlesticks Country Club on Saturday.

“In the case of Bob and Linda, it’s also like following an example of life. An example of turning tragedy into something very positive not only for themselves, but also for the community and for those in need,” Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the papal nuncio for the United Nations, said.

Robert and Linda Simpson have been paying it forward everyday for more than 25 years.

“We’ve helped thousands of kids, from cleft lips, knees, hips, spinals cords, all kind of operation and procedures,” Robert said.

The couple has been taking medical teams all around the world ever since their son’s death in 1989.

“We take the homeless off the street and try to give them some direction, get them new clothes, take them to a home and wash them up,” Robert explained. “We saw some kids broken down on the highway, I couldn’t leave them there because that’s how my son got killed.”

The Simpsons say they help anywhere they can, from charity work to traveling all over to help underprivileged children.

More than 100 people came to the Path of Peace Gala, including local commissioners, senators, and other community leaders. However, the Simpsons remain humble.

“They have the whole world, if you look at the list of people who we’ve received this with, I don’t think we belong on that list. We’re just some folks trying to do the right thing.”