Jermaine Bell caught the world’s attention recently after he gave up his savings for a family trip to Disney World to help feed evacuees from Hurricane Dorian. Instead of taking the trip he’d saved for to celebrate his seventh birthday, this selfless kid decided to help feed the people who were forced to flee the impending storm. Using his savings, he bought hot dogs, buns, chips and bottled water for the people traveling through the area in South Carolina where he was staying with his grandmother.
“I wanted to be generous and live to give,” the boy told local TV station WJBF. “When people were hungry, I wanted them to have something to eat.” The station shared their story about Bell, along with a sweet photo of him holding a sign that reads, “Dorian evacuees, free hot dogs and water,” on Twitter:
6-year-old Jermaine Bell has been saving his money to got to Disney World, but he traded that money for food and water to serve to Hurricane Dorian evacuees. https://t.co/4jSLEuWbPh
— WJBF (@WJBF) September 3, 2019
His money, time and efforts along Highway 125 in Allendale, South Carolina, fed nearly 100 people. The boy’s story spread quickly through social media, and total strangers rallied to raise money and put out requests to Disney to help get Bell and his family the Disney vacation they deserved.
It turns out, this generous young man had already caught Disney’s attention. As the parent company of the TV station where Bell’s interview aired, Disney officials saw his selfless act and moved to make some of their well-known magic to give his little hero his own Disney ending.
On Sept. 8, a bunch of Disney VIPs, including Mickey Mouse dressed up in his special birthday outfit, rolled up in a decked out charter bus to wish Bell a happy birthday on his special day. He had no idea about the special guests dropping by or the surprise gift they had for him.
Bell and his mom, Lauren Creech, were just finishing up an interview with “Good Morning America” when the Disney bus arrived. The birthday boy rounded the corner of his house to see a bunch of Disney Cast Members holding balloons and cheering for him. You can see the special moment in this clip Disney Parks shared:
Not only did they have cheers for Bell, but Mickey and the gang surprised the boy with a VIP to Walt Disney World for him and his family.
Bell was clearly excited about the upcoming trip, but his giving nature and thankful heart shone through all the festivities.
“Be strong, and if you do good things, you will be rewarded,” he reminds everyone in the video.
Enjoy your magical trip, Jermaine! You deserve it!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
