A selfless moment caught on camera showed a young child in need, selected to take part in a holiday shopping giveaway for Christmas, spend his budget entirely on gifts for his family, rather than himself. What he didn't know was how Cook County officers would respond to his heartfelt act.
The touching scene unfolded during the Cook County Sheriff's "Shop With a Sheriff" event.
There, Lt. Michael Rivers was shopping with a boy named Carlos, but when it came time for checkout, he noticed something unusual.
As part of the event, children in need from across the county's southern and northern suburbs, are taken to Walmart and given a $100 shopping spree while being paired up with officers from the department as they shop.
"It was a large pot and pan set. And then it was a larger, like, Barbie doll set," Rivers told NBC Chicago. "So when he grabbed the Barbie doll set ... I say 'Oh, who's that for?' And he was like, 'This is for my sister.' And then I was like, 'Oh, that's real nice.' And then the next thing you know, he was like, 'Where's the pots and pans.' I was like, 'The pots and pans?' And then we went to a section, pots and pans. He grabbed a big nice set. I said, 'Who's that for?' He said, 'That's for my mom.' I said, 'Okay.' And that's how I knew he didn't grab anything for himself."
As the pair arrived in the checkout line, Rivers watched as the items Carlos selected were rung up before an NBC Chicago photographer captured Rivers and another man at the event asking Carlos why he didn't get anything for himself.
"Because I prefer giving stuff to my family," he said in the video.
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That's when Rivers tells Carlos to get himself a gift.
"It was a bit challenging because he honestly did not want to get anything for himself," Rivers said. "So he was like, 'Can I get something for somebody else?' I was like, 'I just want you to get something for you. Something that you'll enjoy.' And so he went back, I think he picked out a couple of ... LEGO sets. And that's what he got."
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But Rivers said there was still another hurdle to clear before Carlos would accept the gift for himself.
"He was ecstatic. He was saying, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.' He was even worried about the cost," Rivers said. He was like, 'Oh, that's too much. That's too much.' I was like, 'No, get what you want.' So he was very, very grateful."
At the checkout again, Rivers said a Walmart manager had heard about Carlos' selflessness and offered to pay for his gift instead.
"One of the managers actually wanted to just give him money instantly for him to go get something," Rivers said.
Rivers, who has participated in at least four such shopping events, said he's witnessed similar scenes before.
"I've definitely noticed there are a couple of kids that come in, and ... when they're buying a laundry detergent, you know, I mean, they may need it for the house," he said. "And you know, the core items, you know, if you have an 8-year-old, you know, 9-year-old, 10-year-old, 12-year-old, anywhere in that range, and they're buying laundry detergent, or they're buying, you know, pots and pans, for example. You can tell that they're buying it for others."
He said the selfless acts are uplifting to witness.
"I mean, we constantly hear about so many kids doing wrong or doing bad and being careless, and possibly even selfish. And this Carlos, the young man, he demonstrated selflessness, you know? He demonstrated, you know, putting his family first. And those are, you know, those are good qualities to have, especially for being so young," Rivers said.
