A local sanitation worker in Ontario, California, took the time to pay a touching tribute to a pair of recent graduates while out on his route last week.
Bruce Johnson, who has worked as an integrated waste driver in Ontario for the last 22 years, was out on his local route when he spotted a pair of recent graduates out in their front yard taking photographs.
Graduates in the spring class of 2020 are currently grappling with the fact that in-person graduation ceremonies have been cancelled due to the ongoing global COVID-19 crisis. Instead of taking photos at stadiums and schools, grads are having to don their caps and gowns at home, taking part in virtual Zoom screen-calling ceremonies and other distance-based ways to celebrate a momentous academic milestone that typically gets more fanfare.
The two young women in question were no different, donning their caps and gowns before taking photographs in their front yard to commemorate their graduation.
Johnson was driving by and noticed the photo session, so he stopped and performed his vary own celebratory serenade in their honor, singing Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All.”
“I believe that children are our future,” he sang. “Teach them well and let them lead the way.”
He then shared a heartbreaking story with them—he'd lost two children of his own, leaving him with three to raise but plenty of heartbreak—before offering them some inspiring words about working hard to be the future for their families.
“I lost two daughters in an accident,” said Johnson. “I'll say this ... when I see girls do what you do, I celebrate. People see me in the truck ... I still have one twin and two sons but, I lost my baby daughter in her junior year and I lost her big sister that was going to visit the other twin.”
“It’s worth your hard work,” he added. “Always keep reaching. I’m serious. Keep working hard and keep making your family proud, because it’s worth it.”
The moving moment happened to be caught on video, and it was later posted online and was shared by the local news affiliate ABC7. Plenty of neighbors were quick to chime in with stories of how he had been just as kind to others over the years while out on his route.
“Mr. Bruce Johnson has done so many amazing things in our community for years. Glad someone caught this on video to share with the world,” wrote Facebook user Meena Duguay. “Exactly a year ago, when things were really tough for me, my yard was a disaster and I had been praying for someone to help since we didn’t have a lot of money at the time to clean it up. Well on his lunch break, he came and helped me and my son pick up my yard!”
“He was on my street this morning doing his rounds. My 3yr old loves them and runs out to say hi every Tuesday,” chimed in another Facebook user. “He stopped his truck got out and sang to my son. He’s a very sweet man. It made my son’s day.”
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