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Travis Rudolph’s small act of kindness impressed many people
Thanks to Travis Rudolph’s small act of kindness, the mother of Bo Peske, an 11-year old with autism will no longer have to worry about her son eating lunch alone.
A wide receiver for the Florida State University football team, Travis Rudolph, was touring a Florida middle school with other colleagues this week when he saw the autistic boy eating alone at the school cafeteria.
Rudolph joined Bo, and they started talking while eating a couple of slices of pizza. The photo of the two at the table was taken by Mike Halligan, a friend of the family and the middle school’s resource officer. Halligan admitted texting it to Paske to alleviate her concerns about how her son was adjusting to a new school. Bo’s mom later distributed the photo on Facebook along with her recognition of Rudolf’s small act of kindness.
Leah Paske, Bo’s mother, said that after this event her sun no longer sat alone at the table. Everyone was greeting him, and she even surprised him sitting at a table full of girls.
Rudolf mentioned that when he saw the little boy sitting alone in the cafeteria, he got a slice of pizza and asked Bo if he could join him. The boy agreed and after he had presented himself, he told Rudolf how much he likes Florida State, and the conversation moved forward.
Bo’s mother admitted believing that the autism could shield the boy in some cases because middle school can be hard. She also thinks that Bo doesn’t seem to mind when he doesn’t get invited to birthday parties or when he eats lunch alone.
Paske mentioned that their meeting has given autism awareness a massive increase. She says that the picture speaks for itself and that she can’t get over how much a small act of kindness could have such an enormous impact. One can notice how engaged Travis was with Bo.
Jimbo Fisher, the FSU coach, said that he is proud of his team and that one can make someone’s day better just by knowing the influence he can have as an athlete and by being himself.
What do you think about Rudolph’s act of kindness? Please let us know in the comment section below.
Photo Courtesy of Leah Paske
