Elementary Students Receive Big Surprise For Random Acts Of Kindness Day
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Buy a coffee for a stranger; take out your neighbor's garbage – some of many unexpected gestures that will be center stage on Friday.
It is Random Acts Of Kindness Day, but for a school in Logan Square the good deeds started a day early. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole has the story.
At Funston Elementary, the students learned Thursday an unexpected lesson.
"I just thought there were going to be people dancing," said 6-year-old, Chloe Avila.
Late Thursday afternoon, students began filtering into the auditorium, for a perfect attendance assembly.
"They only told me there was going to be a big surprise," said 8-year-old, Natalie DelGado.
As they wiggled in their seats, students had no idea 100 scooters and bikes were hidden behind a curtain, one for each student.
"I found out when they opened the curtain," Del Gado said. "The big surprise – scooters and bikes."
The unveiling was an exhilarating moment.
"I was all crazy, shaking a lot," said 6-year-old, Maya DeJesus.
Here is the backstory:
Over the weekend 2,500 Chicago area high school athletes spent time doing random acts of kindness. They also donated a dollar each to purchase Thursday's giveaways at a school where 97 percent of the families are low income.
The gifts came with a challenge, to pay it forward, any way a first or second grader could think of. Some students said they would share their crayons and pencils with their friends.
A life lesson, not just for them, but also for all of us.
You might call it the Oprah car give-away for the elementary set, but as you heard from the students, it was so much more.