A high school student’s hope to see his mom for Christmas became a reality thanks to an anonymous donor in Anderson County, Tennessee.
Clinch River Community School (CRCS) is located behind Anderson County High School in Clinton and is known as the district’s alternative school, WMAZ reported Wednesday.
However, the school is also a very special place, Assistant Principal Nate Stecker told the outlet.
Students may choose to attend, and some enroll because of smaller classes and the teacher-to-student ratio.
“We love these students, and we want to make sure that they have a good experience with a school setting,” Stecker explained.
Sixteen-year-old Richard Coker attends because he was drawn to the smaller classes.
“I feel like is a really good school for people like me, who have trouble focusing,” he noted.
Everyone at the school knows he is a trustworthy young man.
“He came to me saying how excited he was to go visit his mother in Michigan, and so the last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about that,” Stecker told WMAZ.
Almost a year has passed since Coker had a chance to visit his mom after moving in with his father in Tennessee.
“It’s really tough because I’ve lived with her all my life, so leaving like that, it’s kind of hard,” Coker said of his situation.
Plans for a plane or bus ticket did not work out, which caused him distress.
However, Stecker began talking to people in the community and it was not long until the right individual heard what happened.
“This person was like, ‘Well, we’re gonna change that. What does he need?’ And that’s where it all started,” Stecker recalled.
The stranger delivered a Christmas gift the young man will never forget.
“Not only does he get to fly to Detroit, but he gets to fly in style,” Stecker noted. “He gets bumped up to first class. They said that’s the only way that he should fly.”
“It’s gonna be really great,” Coker declared. “I’m gonna give her a big hug and she’s gonna cook me something good to eat.”
Meanwhile, the gift also made him think about other people.
“I’ll have to do that for someone else one day,” Coker stated.
According to WMAZ, he landed in Detroit, reunited with his mother, and will return to Tennessee by the first of January.