Every now and then, ordinary people do extraordinary things that restore our faith in humanity.
A few years ago, a touching Facebook post by teacher Mike Larson went viral. It tells the story of his autistic son, Jon, and a kind-hearted girl named Maddi who asked to take him to prom.
Maddi, a senior, had gotten to know Jon through a school club that connects students with special needs to their peers. One day, she approached Mike and asked for permission to take Jon to prom, saying, “It’s his prom too. I think he should have the chance to go.”
She went above and beyond—wearing Jon’s favorite color, orange, and booking a dinner with his favorite meal: chicken fingers, fries, and chocolate milk.
Mike shared their prom photo online, hoping to support kids like Jon, promote inclusion, and highlight the goodness in the world. The post has since been shared over a million times.
Today, Jon is happy and doing well. Maddi, now married, humbly never saw her gesture as anything special—but to Jon and his family, it meant everything.
As Mike said, “It’s something I never thought would happen for our family, and it’s become one of the nicest memories of our lives.”
Stories like this remind us that kindness still exists—and it matters.