It’s been a tough time for those of us with birthdays recently, especially those of us who are a little too young to understand why all the fun is suddenly canceled.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office helped Jaxson Perez celebrate his birthday after social distancing forced his family to cancel the party.
Southwest Florida law enforcement officers have been going out of their way to help these disappointed birthday boys and girls have a great day, even if social distancing amid a global pandemic means they can’t have a party.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office wasn’t about to let Golden Gate’s Jaxson Perez miss out on the special law enforcement-themed birthday his family had been planning. Although Jaxson took it well when his mother told him the party was cancelled, the CCSO said in a Facebook post that Sheriff Kevin Rambosk still wanted to make the birthday boy’s day a memorable one.
The sheriff, along with CCSO deputies Lt. Gary Martin and Sgt. Brian Williams, arrived at Jaxson’s home in official vehicles, lights flashing. One CCSO SUV even sported a “Happy Birthday Jaxson” banner in honor of the occasion. In a video posted by the Sherriff’s Office last week, Jaxson shyly approaches them wearing a blue police uniform costume.
“Give us a second Jaxson, we’re gonna sing you a song,” the sheriff says as “Happy Birthday” begins to play over the SUV’s loudspeaker.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office helped 12-year-old Kylie celebrate her birthday with a surprise parade.
“Many children across the United States have had to cancel their birthday parties due to COVID-19. When we heard that a local 12-year old girl had to cancel her birthday party and her friends and family were planning a birthday parade for her, we knew we wanted to be a part of it. We hope you had an amazing birthday, Kylie!” LCSO wrote in a post on the organization’s Facebook page.
Photos posted on the LCSO Facebook page show a string of first responder vehicles passing by as the birthday girl stands beside a mailbox decorated with balloons. Civilian vehicles joined the mix, too, while occupants held “Happy Birthday Kylie!” posters.
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Rachael Thomas is a social media champion for the Gannet Digital Optimization Team - South Florida.
Connect with this reporter: rlthomas@floridatoday.com