Toddler gives up her favorite teddy to honor a fallen officer, then his colleagues turn up at her house
Small things can make the biggest differences in the world. And in times of sadness and despair, little acts of kindness really can help so many people feel a lot better.
So when one little girl made a kind gesture for a fallen police officer, his buddies on the force felt so touched, they simply had to express their thanks.
The story all started with Officer Perry Renn of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Officer Renn was tragically killed in the line of duty, and a very special memorial was set up in order for members of the community to honor and thank him for his service.
His squad car was decorated with flowers, balloons, and other little gifts of all shapes and sizes, gratefully left by those who had met Officer Renn and been touched by his kindness, as well as others who simply wanted to pay their respects for a fallen officer.
Jason and Jennifer Fedeler were a couple of local community members who wanted to visit the memorial, bringing along their 3-year-old daughter, McKenzie.
Before they left, Jennifer took McKenzie into her bedroom and asked for her to choose a stuffed animal to place on Officer Renn’s car.
McKenzie picked out her favorite fluffy brown bear and put it right on the hood of the car, beside all the other tokens of appreciation.
Her parents hoped that the gesture might help to teach McKenzie about the importance of police officers, who willingly put their lives on the line to protect and serve their communities.
At the end of the week, the family was in attendance for Officer Renn’s funeral procession, but later that day, they were surprised to see a cop car pulling into their driveway.
Office Lance Rector knocked on the door, explaining that he’d seen McKenzie’s kind gesture on social media and wanted to thank her for that special act of kindness. Not only did Officer Rector say thank you to McKenzie, he also gave her a new teddy bear, one of his own!
Officer Rector said that the bear had been his favorite for many years, but that he wanted McKenzie to have it, along with a special patch badge from his old uniform and a special memorial coin from Officer Renn’s funeral.
McKenzie’s mom and dad say they plan on making a shadow box to preserve all the special gifts from Officer Rector, showing and teaching their daughter about how a little bit of kindness can really go a long way.
Jason says he hopes that McKenzie will learn a lot from all of this, with the story showing that good deeds lead to more good deeds, and even the smallest of actions can have big positive effects on other people’s lives.
Officer Rector and other cops who worked with Officer Renn were truly touched by what McKenzie did, and it’s inspiring to see the wonderful way in which Officer Rector decided to express his gratitude. We’re sure McKenzie has learned a very valuable lesson, and we can all learn a lot from her sweet and innocent act as well.
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