One Baton Rouge supermarket staffer is being showered in good karma, having received a new car and nearly $130,000 for college after video footage of him letting an autistic shopper help stock coolers went viral online.
In early August, a video of Jack Ryan Edwards teaming up with Rouses’ Market employee Jordan Taylor to stock milk and juice on refrigerator shelves went viral on Facebook, after Edwards’ father and sister were blown away by Taylor’s empathy.
“We all know autism makes going out difficult, and sometimes grocery stores can be a challenge. This young man took the time to slow down and allow Jack Ryan to help for over 30 minutes, guiding him as he finished his task,” Delaney Edwards Alwosaibi captioned the clip, which has since been viewed nearly a million times online.
“He could have ignored him. He could have made an excuse and said he couldn’t allow him to help. Instead, he let him have his moment and in turn gave my family a moment we will never forget,” she continued. “It might seem like nothing to others, but as you can hear my dad say in the video, [‘I’m watching a miracle in action’].”
Sid Edwards, Jack Ryan’s father, spoke with Taylor after filming the sweet scene and learned that the “stand-up young man” hoped to return to school to be a teacher.
In the weeks since, over $130,000 have poured in on a GoFundMe page that Delaney set up online for the cause, smashing and surpassing an original goal of $10,000.
Neighbors Federal Credit Union president and CEO Steve Webb said they are proud of his actions.