Good Teenagers

            My VIPs for this week are teenagers who go about doing good deeds. There are some teenagers, maybe a great number of them, who give a bad name to all teenagers. I know many good-hearted teens, and I like to see as many of them as possible receive recognition for their just plain goodness. Here are a couple of examples of teenagers doing good things.

            The first example takes place in a park where Kristen Braconi and her five-year-old autistic son named Carter are celebrating his birthday. Along comes a “pack of 13-year-old boys,” and the mother/son combination become a little concerned. Braconi is prepared to quickly remove her son from the situation if needed. There is no need because 13-year-old Gavin Maves of South Brunswick, New Jersey, begins to play with Carter and his friends follow his example. The teens learn that it is Carter’s birthday, so they sing “Happy Birthday” to him. All of this action is caught on video by Braconi, and the video goes viral. The local police department learns of the teens’ outstanding behavior and gives them a pizza party at the school a few days later. Gavin’s mother learns about the situation and is pleased that her son behaves the way that she hopes he does.  

       

            The second example is about another 13-year-old boy in Nevada. William Rabillo knew that his mother, a single mother with three children, was having a difficult time without a car. He noticed on Facebook that a woman was selling a 1999 white Chevy Metro. He contacted her about trading his Xbox for the car. The woman initially turned down the offer but later decided to take it. Krystal Preston said that she was “At my low point” when her son tells her that he bought a car for her. She did not believe him until she went to the door and saw a woman waiting to take her to pick up the car. When they arrived at the seller’s home, she handed the keys and the paperwork to Preston. William used money from his yard work job to pay the rest of the money for the car.

            So, the next time that you hear of teenagers getting into trouble and/or doing bad things, just remember there are good-hearted teens out there too. In fact, there are most likely more good teens than bad one, but the bad ones make the news.