Student gets new bike thanks to kindness from a stranger
One St. Joseph resident recently changed a Lindbergh's student life for the better, not for personal recognition but as a way to pay it forward.
Lindbergh fourth-grader Kasen Hubbard relies on his bike to get to and from school every day. When camera footage showed an adult stealing his ride while he was in class, Kasen didn’t know how to react.
“I was kind of angry, kind of sad at the same time," Hubbard said. "I was like, 'How was he supposed to ride that when he's grown?'"
Hearing about the incident, St. Joseph resident Jean Johnson stepped up to help. She heard about what happened through Lindbergh Assistant Principal Kaleb Johnson. Jean decided to buy Kasen a new lock to go along with a brand-new bike.
To surprise him, no one at Lindbergh told him about the gift. Instead, he was called out of class to receive it. Fearing he was in trouble, Kasen walked to the office where his new bike awaited him.
"I was very happy," he said. "I almost went into tears."
Kasen's mother, Caress Hubbard, said St. Joseph would be better off with more people like Johnson.
“That's what we need in our community is more positive," she said. "We just need more people like Miss Johnson because, you know, the more better we have, you know, the better the community will be. And we just need the bad ones off the street.”
When asked about her gift, Johnson refused to go on camera because she didn't want recognition. She said she was just paying it forward. When asked why she would buy a bike for a kid she barely knew, she replied, “He was very deserving of it, he’s a wonderful little man.”
Whether she meant to or not, Johnson sparked a little good in the St. Joseph community, and Kasen hopes to carry on that good deed.
“I'm (going to) be the type of person ... like Miss Johnson and stuff like that. Be nice. Be kind," he said.
It just goes to show that anyone can make the world a better place. Kasen looks forward to showing off his bike to his friends in the warmer months and promises to lock it to the bike rack from now on.
