BRIGHTON, Colo. — Following the horrific shooting at a King Soopers in Boulder, an 11-year-old boy in Colorado decided to give out flowers to area grocery store workers who had to go into work the next day.
After the shooting that killed 10 people, Jody Witmer says she spoke to her son, JJ, about the tragedy and the normally talkative kid got really quiet and introspective.
JJ told The Washington Post that he was most devastated for the victims and their families, but he couldn’t help but think of the King Soopers employees in his state who still had to go into work.
So, after brainstorming with his mother about what they could do, JJ decided to use the money he earned from dog-walking to purchase dozens of carnations. And when the florist heard about the boy’s mission, she offered him a generous discount.
JJ and his mom then got permission from the manager of a King Soopers in Brighton to hand out the flowers and the boy began spreading some much-needed joy to the employees at the supermarket.
As JJ handed out the flowers, he let the workers know how much they are appreciated and thanked them for being there, even though it must have been hard.
“He was met with tears, huge smiles, hugs, fist pumps and appreciation for simply acknowledging them,” wrote Jody in a Facebook postabout her son's act of kindness.
The mother and son then went to a King Soopers in Commerce City to do the same thing, this time buying dozens of red roses.
Jody estimates her son’s simple act of kindness impacted more than 70 people that day and likely many more who’ve heard about it since.
Now that his act of kindness has been covered by major news outlets, JJ decided to write a letter to the media, thanking producers and reporters for covering his story.
“I did not really understand why me handing out flowers was such a big deal, but I know now it made a big impact on thousands of people. In the middle of something really bad, you can still find the good,” wrote JJ in part.
