On January 1, 2008, Keith Severin and his 7-year-old son, Adrien, agreed that every day, for one whole year, they would spend at least 15 minutes searching together for treasure. The idea came to them when Keith came out of a store one day, and a guy asked him for change. Keith took about two steps from that spot and found a dime on the ground. It was a reminder that treasure is everywhere.

Keith and Adrien stuck to their plan—even when the weather wasn't favorable—and over the course of that year they stumbled upon plenty of loose change, bottles, a silver necklace, and a golf bag pull cart. By year's end they had amassed over $1,000 worth of treasure through their 15-minute walks. But Keith says it was richer by far simply to grow in their relationship as father and son. "It was nice to spend some time with him and get to know him," Keith said in an interview. As they walked, they talked not about treasure, but about vacation, what's going on at home and school. They even dreamed up books they could write about their experiences together.