Chick-fil-A Employees Play ‘Jedi’ With Lonely Handicapped Child

By THC Staff | July 29, 2016

 

A Chick-fil-A in Columbus, Georgia held an event called “Galaxy Night” to celebrate all things sci-fi. Kari Merriken and her child, Caleb, attended the event hoping to have some out of this world fun. Unfortunately, 8-year-old Caleb was turned down from playing with the other kids.

Caleb, who uses a wheelchair due to having spinal muscular atrophy, was upset but asked his mom to play with him instead. Merriken insightfully told ABC News that, “I felt like he might have been embarrassed, so I didn’t want to rub salt in the wound, but I had to talk to Caleb about it. I told him that I wanted him to take this experience and let it make him a better person than he already is. He’s such a good kid with a big heart. He is so brave and resilient.”

She went inside to ask for a spare lightsaber. That’s when employees asked her if they could help out. They emerged, in Merriken’s words, as “worthy opponents who were much cooler (and more skilled with a light saber) than mom.”

Merriken took a picture of the mighty duel and posted it to Facebook. It received over 1,500 reactions including recognition from Chick-fil-A. The photo provides a great reminder to stay mindful of the world around you and how see how you can spread a little bit of fun.