News
Greg Evans
Aug 02, 2018
A moving moment where a supermarket employee allows a young man with autism to stock some shelves has gone viral.
17-year-old Jack Ryan Edwards, who is on the autistic spectrum, was in a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, branch of Rouses Markets with his father.
Jack, who according to WAFB loves cold drinks and the cooler, spotted one of the staff members stocking drinks in a refrigerator.
Rather than ignore him, the employee, who has been identified as Jordan Taylor, allowed Jack to assist him in his task for 30 minutes.
Jordan handed the drinks to Jack who carefully placed them on the correct shelves and, although the moment might seem minor to some, it proved to be heartwarming for the family.
In a Facebook post, Delaney Edwards Alwosaibi praised Jordan for helping her brother, who she has affectionately nicknamed 'Ziggy', and allowing him to have an unforgettable experience.
Talk about a stand up young man!!!! My dad took Ziggy to Rouse’s yesterday and apparently he was interested in stocking the shelves.
We all know autism makes going out difficult, and sometimes grocery stores can be a challenge.
This young man took the time to slow down and allow Jack Ryan to help for over 30 minutes, guiding him as he finished his task.
He could have ignored him. He could have made an excuse and said he couldn't allow him to help.
Instead, he let him have his moment and in turn gave my family a moment we will never forget.
Delaney shared two videos of Jordan aiding Jack on Facebook both of which have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
In one video their father can be heard saying "I'm watching a miracle right now".
After speaking to Jordan, Delaney learned that he was interested in mathematics and hopes to be an educator in the future.
Speaking to WAFB, Delaney praised Jordan for his kindness:
I know Jordan mentioned he wants to go back to school.
My mom and I are both special education teachers and I have to say, if he does go on to go to college I might put a bug in his ear to pursue that path because people like my brothers and my students need people like him around.
In response, Delaney has launched a Go Fund Me campaign for Jordan to help fund his return to school. In its first nine hours, it raised $6,000 and at the time of writing has surpassed £26,100 and is on its way to achieving it's $30,000 goal.
Earlier this week, Delaney got to meet Jordan and thanked him for what he did.
To me, I've always heard the things people do when no one is watching is their true character and you didn't know how many people were going to end up seeing you do that, you just did it out of the kindness of your heart.
When he was asked to explain he did this random act of kindness, Jordan gave this simple response.
If you would have flipped the camera, you would have seen his dad's face. It said it all.
He was just happy and he [Jack Ryan] was happy putting the juices up and I was just happy that I could make someone else happy and make their day.
Never pictured all this would happen. I was just being me, that's it. I just wanted to help somebody out, enjoy something.
HT Daily Mail
More: Dad gives his autistic daughter the best report card ever after she got bad school grades
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