Over the past few months, racial justice and police reform have been one of the major points of contention across the U.S. We’re not here to debate that issue or whether some of the civil unrest and protests against community law enforcement is justified.
Instead, we want to highlight the fact that most police officers are in fact good people who are out there with one overarching purpose: to serve their community.
That’s why this month’s #BeBetterHero is awarded to Officer Ron Glon of South Bend, Indiana.
12-yr-old Jaelyn Wilson and his 4-year-old brother offer lemonade, punch and cookies at their stand every few weeks in their local South Bend neighborhood. Glon showed up one Sunday afternoon and offered to help.
"It came to my heart and I thought of him a family member because it really meant a lot for a police officer to help somebody who they don’t even know” - Jaelyn Wilson
As if that wasn't kind enough, Glon also vowed to personally match 100 percent of the proceeds that Jaelynn made for the day.
"I’m out of words, I’m out of words. It’s crazy," the 12-year-old boy told the outlet.
Jaelynn's mom, Tina Wilson, admitted that when Glon first showed up, she thought something was wrong and assumed they were being told to close down the stand that Jaelynn and her four-year-old son operate every few weeks together.
"I thought, 'Oh, we're in trouble,' " she recalled to the outlet.
But to her surprise, Glon simply told them that he wanted to help — both physically and financially.
"Me and Jaelynn are going to be waiting on people, collecting money, serving drinks, and I’m going to match 100 percent of what we take in, out of my pocket," he told Jaelynn's grandmother in WNDU's clip.
Jaelynn told the outlet he will treasure the experience forever.
"It came to my heart and I thought of him [as] a family member because it really meant a lot for a police officer to help somebody who they don’t even know," he said.
"They are just out here doing what the want to do, and he came to support," added Jaelynn, who noted that he dreams of turning his lemonade stand into a food truck, buying a Nissan GTR, and joining the NBA.
As for Glon, he said his reason for helping Jaelynn was for much more than simply being kind, especially during a time where police have been criticized for their unjust treatment of the Black community.
"His mother is concerned about him not knowing whether or not to trust police officers or not," he explained to the outlet. "My job is to tell him that he has nothing to worry about. Don’t be fearful, don’t be afraid of us."
Do you have a story of someone like Officer Glon or anyone else in your community who is taking it upon themselves to make it one your proud of? We’d love to hear from you so write to us and describe why they should be featured in one of our next #BeBetterHero posts!
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We hope each and every one of you is staying safe during such unprecedented times. Please remember to look out for those in need and try your best to stay connected to others if you’re practicing self-quarantine or social-distancing.
- Adam