An eight-year-old boy who lost almost everything when his family home went up in flames was left stunned when he walked into his classroom to discover his friends had been secretly working on an incredible surprise.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Daniel Hunt watched as a fire engulfed his family’s home in Tennessee, destroying his belongings and leaving his family with very little to salvage, per CNN.
The blaze started in the kitchen, although Daniel’s mum, Kristen Wilburn, said she was unsure exactly how it happened.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but the family lost their home and Daniel’s collection of toys in the fire.
News of what had happened quickly spread through their small community, including Philadelphia Elementary School, where Daniel was a third-grade student.
Rather than simply offering their sympathies, his classmates and teachers decided they wanted to give him something to smile about.
“We live in a small community in Tennessee. Word of the fire traveled quickly and by Monday, everyone just wanted to help,” Daniel’s homeroom teacher Casey MacKintosh told CNN.
Teachers organised a secret toy drive, encouraging pupils to bring in a toy of their choice for Daniel.
There was just one major challenge: keeping the whole thing hidden from him.
“It was very sweet and a lot of fun for the kids. They needed to keep it a secret, so they would walk in every morning that week whispering, ‘I have this toy for Daniel hidden in my backpack,’” MacKintosh explained.
The toys gradually piled up without Daniel discovering what his classmates were planning.
When the moment finally arrived, a teacher sent Daniel out of the classroom on an errand, allowing everyone else to prepare the surprise.
He returned to find the collection of new toys waiting for him as his classmates shouted “surprise!”
“It’s all for you!” one student told him.
But rather than immediately diving into his new collection, Daniel had a different reaction.
“When he came back, we yelled ‘surprise!’ and instead of rushing to the toys, he just held his arms opened and asked his classmates for a hug,” MacKintosh said.
The eight-year-old described himself as crying happy tears and feeling “joy in his stomach,” while his mum said he had been smiling ever since.
Kristen was equally overwhelmed by the support shown to her family.
“I sat and cried at work for a good 45 minutes,” she said. “I’m just so overwhelmed at all the love and the community coming together for us. It’s just very overwhelming and a blessing.”
She also explained the scale of what the family had lost.
“It was a kitchen fire. I’m not sure how it happened, we found some bits and pieces that were salvageable – my wedding ring made it– but nothing else made it,” Wilburn told CNN. “Daniel has been in awe on how many people have been willing to help us without being asked.”
Daniel and his parents stayed with family members while deciding what to do next.
They may have lost their home and possessions, but the reaction from Daniel’s classmates made one thing abundantly clear: they weren’t facing what came next alone.
Featured image credit: CBS Evening News / YouTube
