In our journey through life, the need to feel inclusion and belonging is important, especially for children as they try to find their place in the world.
Kentucky first grader Levi Carrier is no different.
Levi faced the disappointment of potentially missing a school spirit day. However, an angel in the form of Larry Farrish Jr., a school bus driver in Louisville, Kentucky, made sure this didn’t happen.
Larry, describing Levi as usually cheerful during their interactions, noticed a change one morning when Levi didn’t wave to him as he usually did. Instead, he found Levi sitting alone, visibly upset.
“Any normal day when I pull up to the bus stop, Levi like waves me in,” Larry told Good Morning America. “This day, he didn’t wave me in. I noticed him sitting down on the ground by himself.”
Once Levi stepped on the bus, Larry asked him what was wrong, and the student answered that he had been upset because he didn’t have pajamas for school spirit day. As it turned out, this was because Levi didn’t have any laundry facilities, meaning that his mother, Jasmine Carrier, had been unable to wash a pair for him to wear.
“He looked up at me, bawling, face full of tears and he said ‘I don’t have any pajamas,'” Larry said. “Obviously it meant a lot to him.”
Responding with empathy, Larry took swift action. After dropping off his students, he bought two sets of pajamas for Levi from a nearby store. Returning to the school, he arranged for Levi to receive them, which made the boy’s entire day.
Recalling the heartwarming moment, Larry recounted how happy Levi was when he received the pajamas. “He hugged them and he said, ‘I have pajamas,’” Larry said.
Larry said he was moved to tears witnessing Levi’s joy, saying: “Something so little as pajamas made his world.”
Levi’s mom Jasmine was so thankful for the kind gesture, telling Good Morning America: “It’s amazing. You don’t find too many nice people out here.”
For Larry, the importance of making sure children feeling included motivated his actions.
“I never wanted to see my student hurt because of something so small,” Larry said. “It’s the importance of being able to participate.”
What did you think of this heartwarming story? Let us know in the comments!
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