It is every child’s dream to one day go to Disney World. The same was true for 6-year old Jermaine Bell, who had saved up his money to take his family on a trip to Animal Kingdom for his birthday. However, the South Carolina resident decided to postpone that dream trip to help those in need instead.
Instead of using the money for his 7th birthday celebration at Disney World in Florida, Jermaine decided that the money would be better spent helping those affected by Hurricane Dorian.
He used the money in his piggy bank to buy hot dogs, water, and snacks to feed those who were evacuating through his town of Allendale, South Carolina.
“The people that are traveling to go to other places, I wanted them to have some food to eat, so they can enjoy the ride to the place that they’re going to stay at,” Jermaine said.
Bell’s grandmother, Aretha Grant, explains that after hearing that people were having to leave their homes to get to safety, he decided that he wanted to step in and help them. She even described how he prayed for a family who was in fear that their home would not be standing once they returned.
“Knowing that they couldn’t take everything and we were able to have a house, so that’s the blessed part that he should be thankful for,” his grandmother said.
Jermaine created signs and posted them on each end of the highway, to ensure that people passing through knew that he was there to help. Through his giving heart, the young child was able to serve around 100 evacuees.
“I wanted to be generous and live to give.”
Jermaine’s kind-hearted efforts did not go unnoticed. A GoFund Me account was created to help raise money to get him to Disney World for his birthday on September 8. The initial goal was to raise $5,000 to give him his dream trip. Since being created, more than $12,280 has been given.
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Although Jermaine did not get to celebrate his 7th birthday at Walt Disney World on September 8th, he did receive a special surprise instead. He was visited by Mickey Mouse and a few staffers who informed him that he and his family will be treated to a VIP getaway later this month.