When Dallas mom Jennifer Day’s son, Graham, turned six, no one showed up to his birthday party. This year, when he turned eight, the same thing happened again — but this time, Day decided to do something about it.
Day told Dallas News that she posted a message on the neighborhood Nextdoor website, writing, “I think I’m posting this out of utter emotional distress … but I need to ask if anyone wants to come to an 8 yr old boys birthday party to show him that he’s loved and valued as a person. NO gifts are required other than the gift of friendship.”
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No one responded to Day’s message, so she asked her husband to go to the police station and ask if an officer could come by to see Graham, who had always wanted to be a policeman.
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Instead of just one officer, however, the station’s entire shift arrived at Day’s home, and a few firefighters tagged along as well, lining the street with their patrol cars and trucks. The group ate cake together, and the officers and firefighters sang Graham “Happy Birthday.”
In addition to the officers, several families arrived who had seen the Nextdoor message and wanted to help Graham celebrate.
“By the end of it, I think he forgot that his friends didn’t come over for his birthday,” Day said of her son. “He was so happy.”
“There’s no way I can repay what they did for his little broken heart.”
Photo Credit: Facebook / Dawn Brady Cottar