QUEEN CREEK, AZ (AZFamily) — A simple act of kindness that brightened a Queen Creek family’s day is being noticed by thousands of people after security video was shared on social media.
On Friday, Holly Witherby was surprised when her 21-year-old son, Chase, walked into their home with ice cream. She explained Chase Witherby has autism and functions at an 8-year-old level.
Security video from the front door showed Chase yelling, “Thanks a lot” to an ice cream truck driving away from his house. He then walks in to tell his mom what he got. “I watched it so many times and just laughed. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what did he just do?’” said Holly.
Turns out, Chase was sitting out by the front doorstep like he typically does. His parents were inside cleaning.
When an ice cream truck rolled by, Chase ran up to it and asked to have a SpongeBob SquarePants ice cream. Holly said it was the first time he had seen an ice cream truck. However, she explained Chase does not have a concept of money and didn’t realize he had to pay.
Holly’s husband chased the ice cream truck and learned the owners of Twin Pops, Olivia and Naomi Atkins, used their tip jar money to cover Chase’s order. It’s something they do for a lot of kids, and the smiles they receive are payment enough.
“We remember just going to the ice cream truck when we were younger, and the experience we had and the memories we had. We wanted as many kids to experience that even if they didn’t have any money,” said Olivia.
With Chase, the interaction was no different. Olivia and Naomi said they have a cousin on the autism spectrum. “We understand what it’s like to converse and be around people who don’t understand, so we never wanted to be the people to treat him differently or to be rude in any way. That’s another reason why we wanted to show kindness in this way,” said Olivia.
Their sweetness melted Holly’s heart. “It was just nice to know that there are people that are kind and willing to pay it forward and not judge anybody,” said Holly.
When asked what message they would like viewers to hear, Naomi said, “Empathy and understanding. Like, if you were them, how would you want to be treated? That’s as simple as that.”
Holly said her husband had run after the ice cream truck on Friday and tried paying the sisters, but they did not accept. She is grateful for their act of kindness, which happened to be on her birthday and became one of the sweetest gifts ever. If you would like to follow Olivia and Naomi, click/tap here.
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