Jermaine Bell is a 7-year-old boy who lives by the motto, "Live to give." And it's a feel-good lesson we could all use a dose of, especially in trying times.
Last week, the country became familiar with Bell's name because of his selfless contributions to families displaced due to Hurricane Dorian. The storm, which catastrophically hit the Bahamas with Category 5 conditions, made its way up the east coast of the United States, throwing strong winds and flooding rains along North Carolina's seaboard.
Bell, an Allendale, S.C. resident, heard about the hurricane and all of the people fleeing the Carolinas. He set up shop with hot dogs, bags of chips and water bottles to help out those that were quickly evacuating.
"The people that are traveling to other places, I wanted them to have some food to eat so they can enjoy the ride to the place that they're gonna stay at," he told WJBF.
The hospitality alone was enough for everyone to take notice, but young Bell went one step further. To purchase the food, he used money he was saving up with his family to take a trip to Disney World; the plan was to spend his seventh birthday at Animal Kingdom.
"I just wanted to be generous," he said.
But, while Bell wasn't able to get to Disney for his birthday yesterday, the House of Mouse came to him. Disney ambassadors and cast members arrived at the Bell home on Jermaine's birthday and surprised him with a trip as thanks for his selflessness.
Bell was appropriately wearing a "The Lion King" shirt when he received the news, and his face says it all.
Mickey Mouse himself showed up to sing "Happy Birthday" to Bell, and there were mouse ears, balloons, "Lion King" merch and even a birthday cake to go around to celebrate the day.
"Be strong, and if you do something good, good will come back to you," Bell said to Good Morning America about his surprise trip.
Other organizations have heard of Bell's generosity, too: Delta Airlines seems to be offering to fly the family to Florida!
Happy birthday, Jermaine!