4 men push elderly woman in broken scooter home in pouring rain
Lending a helping hand will always be
appreciated.
Four young men learned that firsthand
after they received praise for escorting a retirement home resident back to her
residence when her scooter broke down in the middle of a storm.
Katty Castro, a public relations
representative at the Florida Living Independent Community in Seminole County,
Florida, witnessed the kind act and snapped pictures of the group who valiantly
pushed the resident’s scooter to her planned destination.
"Since this is a very quiet
neighborhood I was surprised to hear a commotion, laughs and four gentlemen
pushing one of my lady residents under a heavy storm in Florida," Castro
told Fox News. "They were pushing her up the big slope toward her
residence. These heroes were so focused on helping regardless of the inclement
weather and they were even covering her with an umbrella, which showed more
compassion on their part."
Castro said she went on to thank the
men "for their kindness and asked them for a group picture" when they
were done with their task and shared the moment with her community on Nextdoor
– a hyperlocal social networking app where people can share what’s going on in
their neighborhood.
Initially, Castro thought the helpful
team of four were local teens from the high school next door, but she later
learned the men were employees of Rebounderz Adventure Parks.
The men were passing through the area
after a hard day’s work, but noticed the woman just when they were about to
turn onto an eight-lane highway.
"[We] noticed the woman was
clearly experiencing a malfunction with her mobile scooter," said
JohnMorgan Massa, a corporate general manager at Rebounderz Adventure Parks, in
an interview with Fox News.
"We were tired, dirty and wanted
to get back to the hotel; but, knew without a doubt that regardless of our long
day, it certainly wasn't worse than the day this lady was having. She literally
had a plastic bag on her head to keep her hair dry," he added. "We
knew we couldn't leave her in the rain, in the middle of the road, frantically
trying to get her scooter to work again."
Massa and his colleagues reportedly
made a three-quarter-mile trek as they carefully pushed the resident while she
remained on her scooter, according to Castro.
"Those scooters are heavy, add
the resident’s weight, her groceries and collapsing tires, the sum is a whole
workout. But, I am proud of their sacrifice," Castro said.
Massa said helping the resident was a
no-brainer.
"We just wanted her to get home
safely," he explained. "We never expected recognition, just helping a
fellow member of our community."
When it comes down to the viral
attention they’re receiving, Massa said he and his team "could have never
expected this" and hope that people feel encouraged to help their
neighbors when duty calls.
"Holding a door, smiling,
picking up someone’s spilled groceries, reaching for an item on the top shelf
in the grocery store; and, yes, helping someone whose electric wheelchair broke
down in the rain are things almost anyone can do," Massa told Fox News.
Castro also hopes this moment
inspires others to step up when times get tough, even "when the
environment is rough."
"As a mom of teenagers I want my
children to grow up like these 'modern heroes,’ to make a difference each day
no matter the environment," Castro said. "In these rough COVID times,
let’s demonstrate compassion to one another."
Cortney Moore is a Digital Associate
Writer/Producer for Fox Business. Follow her on Twitter at @CortneyMoore716.
