An Ocala Police Department officer decided to surprise a local 11-year-old girl with a birthday gift after a traffic accident postponed her birthday plans.
According to an OPD Facebook post, on Tuesday, March 8, the OPD officer responded to the 3000 block of SE 24th Street to investigate a traffic accident.
The officer learned that one of the drivers involved in the accident was taking her younger sister to McDonald’s to celebrate her birthday. Their injuries were minor, but a hospital visit forced the celebration to be postponed.
Since the officer did not want for the accident to ruin the child’s birthday, the officer spoke with her mother and came up with a plan to help.
When the birthday girl returned home from school the next day, a surprise was waiting for her: a teddy bear and a McDonald’s gift card from the Ocala Police Department.
The officer did not want to be publicly recognized for the kind gesture. On its Facebook webpage, OPD stated, “We are incredibly proud that our officers find a way to make this community a little better every day.”