We need to hear encouraging stories more than ever in these times of confusion, hostility, and division. This one about a police officer and a black family will surely warm your heart and make you believe that love and compassion still abound in the community, despite all that’s happening around us.
Even though no one asked him to, this Indiana police officer went above and beyond to help a boy and his family operate their lemonade stand in their South Bend neighborhood. Officer Ron Glon showed up to the stand not to buy refreshments and snacks, but to help Jaelynn Wilson and his mother, Tina Wilson, sell popcorn, lemonade, and cookies.
The 12-year-old boy was taken aback by the cop’s kindness.
“I’m out of words, I’m out of words. It’s crazy,” he told WNDU.
When Tina first saw Officer Glon approaching, she admitted to assuming the worst. She thought the cop would ask them to close the stand that Jaelynn and her four-year-old son set up every few weeks together.
“I thought, ‘Oh, we’re in trouble,’” she recalled.
But Officer Glon didn’t have any sort of plan to shut them down. He was there for a completely unexpected reason – to help the family wait on customers. And as if that wasn’t kind enough, he also promised to double their profit for the day!
“Me and Jaelynn are going to be waiting on people, collecting money, serving drinks, and I’m going to match 100 percent of what we take in, out of my pocket,” he excitedly told Jaelynn’s grandmother.
And the officer stayed true to his word and helped with serving customers in the parking lot. He also squeezed in a quick football session with Jaelynn and got to know him over a cup of lemonade. It’s safe to say that it was a great day for both parties.
Marcia Brown, a regular customer of the lemonade stand, said the kind act wasn’t new for the cop.
“Ron Glon is a sweet person. So when I heard the name, I said that is going to be Mr. Glon coming,” she said.
Jaelynn felt so grateful to Officer Glon’s support, that he already considers him one of their own.
“It came to my heart and I thought of him [as] a family member because it really meant a lot for a police officer to help somebody who they don’t even know,” he said. “They are just out here doing what the want to do, and he came to support.”
Despite his young age, the boy is aware of the unrest happening in the country. He understood what Officer Glon was trying to do when he helped them.
“It made me feel so good to be able to work with a police officer, because you gotta think, he knows everything that’s happening with the George Floyd [protests], the riots,” he told Fox News. “He has to make sure that he doesn’t be one of those cops.
Someday, Jaelynn wants to turn their humble lemonade stand into a food truck. He also dreams of buying a Nissan GTR and joining the NBA.
On the other hand, Tina said that she’s been telling her children not to have a negative perception towards citizens in uniform like Officer Glon.
“We don’t want them to judge us because of the color of our skin, but you know, let’s not judge them because of their uniform either,” she said. “Let’s come together and do what we can and just push the bad people out.”
As for the officer, he said his generous act was much more than showing kindness. He also wanted to assure the family that not all police officers are corrupt, despite what’s happening in the country.
“His mother is concerned about him not knowing whether or not to trust police officers or not,” he explained. “My job is to tell him that he has nothing to worry about. Don’t be fearful, don’t be afraid of us.”
Officer Glon got that message across for sure, not just to the Wilson family, but also to the rest of their community. For him to do something like that for someone he doesn’t know is truly touching. He’s a role model who deserves to be recognized!
During these difficult times, it’s even more important for stories like this to be heard. Share this with your friends and family.