Boy Sets up Charity Contest to Buy Electric Wheelchair for Recently Orphaned Disabled Classmate — Story of the Day

When a student noticed his only friend at school was absent one day, he asked his teacher what had happened. Upon learning that his friend got into a life-changing accident, the boy decided to do something special for his friend, unaware of how other people would react.

Liam was dumping his clothes into a suitcase when he began thinking about how his life had suddenly changed after his father's death. The fifth grader's father had unexpectedly passed away three months ago, leaving him and his mother alone.

"Hurry up, Liam!" his mother shouted from the living room downstairs. "We must reach our new apartment in thirty minutes, and we are already running late."

"I'm coming, Mom. Almost done," Liam replied from his bedroom. After his father's demise, his mother couldn't afford to pay the rent, so they decided to move into an apartment in a relatively cheaper area of the city.

After packing all his clothes, Liam dragged the suitcase downstairs and told his mom he had packed everything. A few minutes later, they left their house and drove to their new apartment.

On the way, Liam could only think of the cons of moving into a new house. Since he was an introvert, the thought of making friends always made him feel nervous, and moving into a new neighborhood meant he had to face his fears.

A day after moving into his new home, Liam began attending a neighborhood school. On his first day, he didn't talk to anyone or try to make friends, and during recess, he sat at the corner table in the cafeteria and ate his lunch alone.

Although other students in the class knew he was a new student, no one stepped forward to welcome him. Instead, they ignored him and refused to sit next to him in class.

The next day, Liam didn't want to go to school because of how his classmates treated him, but he forced himself out of bed and went to school. That day, he was sitting alone in the classroom when a boy approached him and asked, "Can I sit next to you?"

"Sure," Liam smiled.

"I'm Joel. And you?"

"Liam."

"Is it your first day today?"

Liam looked around and said, "No, it's my second day. I recently moved into this neighborhood."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Joel said. "I skipped school yesterday, so I thought it was your first day today."

As days passed, Liam and Joel became friends and discovered they lived on the same street. After school, they often played catch in the nearby park. It was a game they both loved playing.

It only took Liam a few weeks to become best friends with Joel. Even their mothers knew how fond the boys were of each other, and their teachers never wanted them to sit together because they couldn't stop chatting.

"Liam, I'm so sorry, but your best friend got into an accident last night," the teacher put her hand on Liam's shoulder.

One day, Joel skipped school, and Liam had to sit alone in class. He thought his friend's absence was odd because Joel never missed school, especially not on Mondays.

Why would he skip school? Liam wondered. The last time he met his best buddy was on Saturday night, and they didn't meet on Sunday because Joel had to go to his relative's house with his parents.

Feeling worried, Liam asked his class teacher if she knew why Joel didn't come to school. What she said next was something he wasn't prepared for.

"Oh, Liam, I know you will feel sad after hearing this," his teacher said. "Please sit down."

Liam sat on the chair next to his teacher and looked at her while fidgeting with his fingers.

"Liam, I'm so sorry, but your best friend got into an accident last night," the teacher put her hand on Liam's shoulder. "He lost his parents in the car crash."

"Oh no!" Liam covered his face with his hands. "Where is he now?"

"The principal told me Joel is in the hospital at the moment because of a severe spinal injury. I am not sure which hospital it is, but you can ask around and visit him with your mother, Liam," the teacher said.

After returning home that day, Liam cried while telling his mother what had happened to Joel. The heartbroken boy asked his mother to find out where his best friend was.

Soon, Liam learned that Joel was in a nearby hospital, but he had lost the ability to walk. He asked his mother if he could see Joel at the hospital, but she told him the doctors weren't allowing visitors at that time.

"Mom, I feel so bad for Joel. How will he live without his parents?" Liam asked his mother.

"I know, sweetheart. I heard that his grandmother is at the hospital with him, and she will look after him once he returns home," his mother revealed. "Don't worry, Joel. Your friend will be fine," she assured him.

Joel's grandmother was a poor lady who came rushing to see her grandson after learning about the car crash. She loved Joel dearly and agreed to raise him with her limited resources.

Two months later, the doctors allowed Joel to go home after they performed a spinal surgery. However, he still couldn't walk and was restricted to a wheelchair.

Meanwhile, Liam missed his best friend at school and wished he would join him at school soon. Since Joel was his only friend and other students didn't like talking to him, he spent most of the time in school alone.

When Liam learned Joel would soon return home, he couldn't wait to see his friend. The day he arrived home with his grandmother, Liam rushed to Joel's house with a candy bar and the ball they used to play catch with.

"Hi, Joel!" Liam exclaimed when he saw his best friend.

Joel's eyes lit upon seeing Liam after months, but he couldn't get up and meet him. The boy was now confined to his wheelchair and depended on his grandmother to move around.

Joel's grandmother pushed his wheelchair so he could sit near Liam. "How are you feeling now, Joel?" Liam asked worriedly. "I missed you in school and have so much to tell you."

"I'm better now, Liam," Joel smiled. The boys talked to each other for hours before Liam's mother came to pick him up at night.

"I'll see you tomorrow, buddy!" Liam told his friend before leaving.

While he was happy to see his friend after months, he felt terrible knowing Joel could never walk again. Moreover, seeing his elderly grandma struggle to push the wheelchair made Liam feel even worse.

"Mom, I feel so bad for Joel," he told his mother at the dinner table later that evening. "The car crash snatched his ability to walk."

"I can understand, sweetheart. But you don't have to feel sad," his mother replied. "You can help your friend adjust to his new lifestyle and make him feel better. Pitying him would make him feel worse."

A week later, Liam asked Joel to play catch with him outside. However, when the boys started playing, Liam realized Joel was missing most of the catches since he couldn't run around.

Later that night, Liam kept thinking about what his mother had said at the dinner table last week. He thought of all the ways he could help Joel and then realized buying an electric wheelchair would be the best option.

Since an electric wheelchair would allow Joel to move around without his grandmother's help, he could play catch with Joel and do other tasks independently.

How will I get an electric wheelchair for him? It must be so expensive! Liam thought to himself. Just then, he got an idea that could help him buy the wheelchair, but he didn't know if it would work.

The next day, Liam shared the idea with his mother while having breakfast before going to school.

"Mom, I want to buy an electric wheelchair for Joel, so he doesn't have to ask his grandmother to move him around," Liam said. "And I have a plan for that."

Liam's mother looked at him and smiled. "Really? What's your plan?" she asked.

"I want to set up a charity contest at school, Mom," Liam said. "Do you think that would work?"

"Oh yes! Of course, Liam! A charity contest will help you raise funds to buy an electric wheelchair. But I am not sure if the school management would allow you to set it up," his mother stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. "You need to ask your teachers first."

During recess that day, Liam approached his teacher and shared his idea with her. "Do you think the principal would allow me to host a charity contest at school?"

"Yes, child," his teacher replied. "I think you can do it, and I'm so proud of you for coming up with such a brilliant idea!" Then, Liam's teacher took him to the principal's office, and he soon got permission to set up a charity contest.

Liam's teacher helped him organize the event and guided him on what he should do to attract people's attention. She wanted Liam to raise as much money as possible so he could buy an electric wheelchair for Joel.

Later that evening, Liam designed customized invites for his teachers and the parents of other students. He wanted everyone to show up at the event, but he wasn't sure if people would accept his invitation since he had no friends at school except Joel.

After sending the invites to everyone and finishing most preparations for the charity contest, Liam spent the entire night designing eye-catching posters and banners for his event.

On the event day, he reached school with his mother before the charity contest started and was the first to enter the hall. He sat inside with his mother and waited for the guests to show up.

During the first hour, Liam thought he wouldn't be able to raise enough funds because only a couple of students had visited the hall by then.

However, a few minutes later, teachers, students, and parents started coming in. Soon, the hall was packed with participants, and Liam was delighted to see the response. He had no idea so many people would take part in the contest.

At the end of the day, Liam and his mother sat in the empty hall and counted the money people had left in the donation box. To Liam's surprise, he had raised enough money to buy the latest electric wheelchair for Joel.

"You've made me so proud, sweetheart!" Liam's mother hugged him after counting the money. "We will buy the wheelchair first thing in the morning tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, mom," Liam smiled at his mother.

The next day, Liam stood outside Joel's house with a brand-new electric wheelchair. When Joel's grandmother opened the door, Liam requested her to bring Joel to the entrance.

"This is for you, Joel!" Liam exclaimed while pointing at the electric wheelchair. "The entire school helped me buy this for you!"

Tears started to roll down Joel's cheeks after Liam told him about the fundraiser. "You didn't have to do this for me, Liam! I am so lucky to have you as my friend," Joel said.

After that day, Liam and Joel continued playing catch, and Joel even attended school. Eventually, the students in Liam's class began respecting him and wanted to be friends with him. Having more friends meant Liam never had to eat lunch alone during recess, not even when Joel skipped school.

What can we learn from this story?

• Always help others. When Liam realized Joel's life had suddenly changed, he decided to help, despite not knowing if his plan would work. Even the charity contest participants didn't shy away from donating money.
• Never doubt your ideas. At first, Liam thought his idea wouldn't work, but once he executed it, he raised more funds than he had expected and bought the best electric wheelchair for Joel.

Share this story with your friends and family. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

Click here to read another story about a boy scout who washed cars to help his best friend's sick grandmother. Days later, an SUV pulled up at his house for his reward.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.