8-Year-Old Goes Out of His Way to Help Elderly Woman, Shows Us the Power of Random Acts of Kindness

When eight-year-old Maurice Adams Jr. saw an elderly woman with a walker struggle to get up a flight of stairs, he rushed to help her.

His selfless and joyful act of kindness was caught on camera by a passerby and soon went viral, touching hearts across the world.

Maurice, who lives in Georgia, was on his way home with his sister and mom Contricia Hill when he first noticed an elderly woman with a walker crossing a busy road by herself.

But when she was met by a flight of stairs and started struggling, Maurice immediately asked his mom if he could get out of their car and go help, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Getting the greenlight from his proud mom, Maurice hopped out of the car and patiently helped the older woman up each step. With one arm around her and the other helping lift her walker, Maurice and the older lady successfully made it up the steps, hugging at the end to celebrate the win.

Maurice’s new friend patted him on the back and told him he was special for helping out. Both of them smiling, Maurice hopped down the stairs and back into his mom’s car.

How the story went viral

But unbeknownst to Maurice and his family, a stranger saw the entire beautiful interaction and caught in camera. The bystander, Riley Duncan, was so touched by Maurice’s kindness, he shared it to a local Facebook group with the caption “God bless our youth” so others too could appreciate the moment.

Comments and shares went wild, with many praising Maurice for being a “sweet young man” and a “young gentleman.” Many raised Maurice as an example for youth and remarking what a great job his family has done to instill such selfless values in him.

“Young man, you are a treasure. Always keep your kindess and never let other people that that away from you. Five gold stars for your kindess and Five gold stars for the parents whom are doing a superb job raising this child into a decent caring person,” one commenter wrote.

More heartwarming reactions

When mom Contricia Hill learned that her son has become internet-famous for his random act of kindness she couldn’t be prouder, telling a local news channel: “It’s touching. It’s very touching. (It just shows) respect and raising your kids right goes a long way.”

As for what bystander Riley thought of the interaction? “I was so proud and it made me feel so good and I started crying,” he told WGXA, adding he recorded the moment “with tears.” In fact, Riley was so touched, he revealed to CBS News he will be rewarding Maurice with a $100 for his kindness.

When asked what motivated his drive to help, Maurice simply said: “She was struggling, so I decided to help her.”

We can all be more like Maurice.