By FireRescue1 Staff
PEKIN, Ill. — Party crashers aren’t always the most welcomed of guests. But for an 11-year-old boy, having firefighters and police officers crash his birthday party may have been the best surprise ever.
Last month, Braden Garnett’s mother reached out to the Pekin Police Department, requesting that a few officers show up to her son’s 11th birthday party on Sept. 18. She explained that in years prior, few, sometimes none, would attend Braden’s birthday parties.
“I put out the word to the officers,” Pekin Detective Mike Eeten told the PJ Star. “Several of them took up a collection to get Braden a present ... The fire chief was in the office one day and I mentioned it to him.”
Firefighters, police and the city mayor arrived to Braden’s party with sirens and lights flashing.
“I had no idea 10 police officers and four firefighters and the fire chief would be there,” Garnett said. “They made him feel like a celebrity.”
Prior to the party, officers stopped by the homes of two boys who were attending the party. “Officer Taylor went to them and talked about how to stick up for kids who are being bullied and what kinds of things friends do for each other. He went above and beyond.”
Some of the police officers brought their own children to the party as well.
The day after the party, Braden stopped by the police department to deliver handwritten thank-you notes to each firefighter and police officer who attended.
“This is how we, as public servants, help the community,” Eeten said.
Video of Braden’s party went viral, and has been viewed over 280,000 times.