The idea of a daddy-daughter dance is a special thing. It allows young girls to get excited about going to a big dance without the hassle of having to deal with boys. For most girls at this age, boys are still a nuisance and having to dance with them would just be a bother. The dance allows fathers to form close bonds with their daughters and gives young girls a great reason to get dressed up and spend a lovely night with their friends. However, for some people, the daddy-daughter dance is not a moment to celebrate, it can be a sad reminder of a broken marriage or a deceased parent. To some, the daddy-daughter dance is not the highlight of the year but a night of heartbreak. That was something that the Van Buren police department wanted to fix.
For the recent daddy-daughter dance in Van Buren, Arkansas, the Chief of Police asked his officers to chaperon any daughters who did not have fathers who could attend. The idea was created because it was felt that no one should miss out on such an event and made feel different because they don’t have a dad.
One officer who took up the challenge was Officer Nick Harvey, he was the school resource officer and knew many of the students well. He heard that one student, Avey Cox, did not have a father and would be unable to attend the dance. Officer Harvey stepped in. He rang Avey’s mother and asked if it would be ok to bring her daughter to the school dance. She was delighted and gave Officer Harvey permission to ask her himself. The next day he acted and asked Avey to the dance, luckily she accepted.
Avey was delighted. She had been heartbroken leading up to the dance as all of her friends were making plans, buying dresses and discussing what they would do. It was all anyone in Avey’s first-grade class could talk about. She felt alienated and alone but now she was incredibly excited.
Officer Harvey ensured that Avey had an incredible evening. He and some of the other dads organized a limo to pick up Avey and her friends. They went to a pizza place before the dance started and then rolled in their limo to the school dance. There they took lots of pictures of Officer Harvey and Avey and all of her classmates. Avey and Officer Harvey had planned everything down to the finest detail so that even their outfits matched.
Once the dance was over, Officer Harvey took Avey to get some ice cream and let her ride in the police car. It finished off what was a perfect evening. Avey was delighted that she not only got to attend the dance but had such an incredible time. Officer Harvey was happy that he could step in and help the young child. He says that he hopes to take Avey to every daddy-daughter dance that takes place from then on. Because of his kindness, Avey will never miss a daddy-daughter dance.
This incredible act was relatively easy for Officer Harvey. He had to pick up a young child and spend an evening with her. It was little more than babysitting. Yet to Avey, it meant the world. It is a wake-up call to all of us to do more for those in need. What can be a simple task for us could change someone’s life. It doesn’t always need to be about donating money or sacrificing a lot. It can be some small act of kindness. The key is to open our eyes to the world around us and look for ways that we can help.