Cubs, Uber Team Up To Give Young Fan A Birthday Surprise
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Cubs and Uber teamed up to give a young fan a birthday surprise Tuesday morning.
Nine-year-old Josiah Lebron wasn't quite sure why adults were filming his third-grade class at Luther Burbank Elementary School on Chicago's West Side.
It was all part of Uber's new program, UberWISH, which asked employees what they wished for.
"My first thought was not me, it was him," said Josiah's dad, Luis, a Chicago driver for the rideshare company. "What can I do to make something special happen for his birthday or just give him an experience that not every other kid can have?"
Luis said Josiah's mother, Nicolette Medina, died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning three years ago and that his son has been through a lot since.
When Luis walked into Josiah's classroom, he had no idea what was soon to follow.
"I didn't know, so I was just sitting in my chair with this face, like, I don't know what's going to happen!" Josiah said.
Luis greeted the class and then turned his attention toward his son.
"We're working on a contest where I had to write an essay about a wish that I wanted to fulfill," Luis tells Josiah. "I wished that I could take you not only to a Cubs game, but you're also going to get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at this Cubs game.
"And I also have some very important friends that want to give you some more gifts."
In walked Clark the Cub, the baseball team's mascot, with tickets for a game, a Javier Baez jersey -- Josiah's favorite player -- and hats for the entire class.
"He deserves that and everything in the world," Luis said.
Uber said it received more than 7,000 entries before selecting Luis' as the winner.
The game next month at Wrigley Field will be Josiah's first, and an Uber spokeswoman said he will get a behind-the-scenes tour and have the ability to go on the field.
