Reader's Digest - USA (2019-08)

READER’S DIGEST

Never Too

Young to Care

After seeinga homelessmansleepingina carpark,

a young boy set out on a mission

I

t wasa typicalfreezingcold

winter’snightbackin2017,as

AdrianYoung,nowten,raced

hisfather,Will,totheircarin

thelargelyemptycarparkof

thelocalSuperRoosterrestaurant

inToowoomba,inSouthern

Queensland.Hismother,Jennifer,

laggedbehindthepairwithAdrian’s

youngersister,EmilyRose.They

werekeentogetintothecarto

escapethecold1°Cnight.Butas

theyreachedthecar,Adrian’sgaze

turnedtowardstherearofthe

carpark,wherea manwaslayingon

a makeshiftbedofblankets.“Ifelt

badasI wastryingtogetoutofthe

coldandhewasabouttosleepinthe

freezingcold,”saysAdrian.Willwent

overtothemantoseeif hewassafe,

andalsogavehimabout$20,hoping

hecouldputit towardssomehot

foodorperhapsa warmjumper.

WillandJenniferquicklyforgot

abouttheencounter,sweptup

inthepaceofrunning a small

BYKathyBuchanan

businesswhileraisinga young

family.Butoverthenextweek

Adriancouldn’tshakethefeeling

thathehadn’tdoneenough.For

thefirsttimeherealisedthatthere

werelotsofotherhomelesspeople

withouta warmbed.WhenJennifer

explainedtohimthattherewere

wholefamilieswithkidsjustlike

himwhowerehomeless,thelittle

boywasshocked.

Adriantoldhisparentshewanted

tobuythehomelessmana house

to live in but when he discovered

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JENNIFER GILLETT YOUNG

36 Augus t 2019