Losing our loved ones sucks and it changes our lives forever. Nick Harvey, a school police resource officer who at an elementary school in Van Buren, Arkansas, decided to make a little girl who lost her father feel special and take her out to a father-daughter dance.
It takes only one act of kindness to make someone’s day
Nick had no one to take to the annual father-daughter dance event. He said that he looked forward to the event but had no one to take. The solution presented itself when Van Buren police chief suggested to his school resource officers to take out kids without fathers to the annual father-daughter dance.
After consulting the school’s guidance counselor, Nick found a perfect candidate to take out, a little girl whose father passed away recently.
‘Well, tonight I’m her dad.’”
Avey Cox, a second-grader, had lost her dad in January last year.
“They were very close,” Cox’s mom, Angelia told TODAY Parents. “Avey wanted to go to the dance but didn’t have anyone to take her.”
Nick wasted no time in getting ready for his and Avey’s big night, he wanted everything to be perfect. He even rented a Hummer limousine with five other dads, to make Avey feel like a true princess!
“I bought a new tie and handkerchief to match Avey’s dress and I ordered a corsage,” he said. “Every time I saw her at school, she’d remind me of how many days it was until the dance.”
Avey and Nick had a great time together and shared ice cream after the dance. Nick later described that eating ice cream with Avey was the best moment of their evening.
“Another little girl that was with our party asked, ‘Is this your dad?’ and Avey said, ‘No, this is our school resource officer,’” Nick described. “I looked at Avey, and then I said, ‘Well, tonight I’m her dad.’”
Avey hasn’t stopped smiling since the dance
Coping with the loss of a parent is hard for everyone, especially a kid. Nick’s act of kindness has helped her cope with the loss and according to her mom, Avey hasn’t stopped smiling since the dance!
“I know she’s not my kid, but for a couple of hours it felt like she really was. I even get to twirl her. We’ve really become best friends through all this,” Nick said.
As a tribute to Nick’s amazing gest, Van Buren School District shared: “We have the BEST School Resource Officers!” on their Facebook page. We can’t agree more! Nick doesn’t plan to stop there however, he said he would like to take Avey to future dad-daughter events.
“It was such a bright spot in the hard month we’ve had,” Avey’s mom admitted. “Avey keeps saying it was the best night ever.”
Thanks to Nick, Avey has had a very special evening which will stay in her memory for a long time!
Watch the video below to see Nick and Avey talk about the great night they spent together and don’t forget to share this amazing story with your family and friends!
