One fourth grader has been melting the internet’s heart after a story went viral across social media about how he had been bullied over his DIY t-shirt, only for the University of Tennessee to come to the boys aid in the most fantastic way possible.
During a college colors day at an elementary school, one student wanted to wear a University of Tennessee shirt.
However, the student was upset because he didn’t have a t-shirt from the University of Tennessee. So, the student improvised.
In lieu of an official shirt, the young child made his own logo and attached it to his shirt.
However, the boy was heartbroken when other kids bullied him for his home-made shirt.
The boy’s teacher, Laura Snyder, took to Facebook to share the tragic story, “he was SO EXCITED to show me his shirt. […] After lunch, he came back to my room, put his head on on his desk and was crying. Some girls at the lunch table next to his (who didn’t even participate in college colors day) had made fun of his sign that he had attached to his shirt.”
Ms Snyder’s Facebook post was shared by hundreds of University of Tennessee volunteers and fans.
The volunteers and staff at the Official University of Tennessee Store were so moved by the young boy’s story that they decided to put together a pack filled with University of Tennessee merchandise for the boy and his classmates.
Members of the faculty even included personal messages, thanking the boy for being such a loyal fan.
The package was filled with a signed football, jerseys, hats, pencils, notebooks, wristbands, and many more goodies!
Ms Snyder took to Facebook once again to explain how grateful the entire class were.
She wrote, “My student was so amazed at all the goodies in the box. He proudly put on the jersey and one of the many hats in the box. All who saw had either goosebumps or tears while we explained that he had inspired and touched the lives of so many people.
“This experience is uniting my class even more than I could have imagined, and it was truly amazing to witness!! […] THANK YOU so much so all who have made this such a positive experience for my student.”
However, as amazing as the pack of goodies was, the best surprise was yet to come.
Not only did the University of Tennessee take the time to send the class the wonderful selection box, but they also made the boy’s hand-drawn logo into an official University of Tennessee logo!
Yes, the young fan’s own design has been turned into an official shirt!
The Official Campus Store of The University of Tennessee tweeted the image and announced that the shirt is now available for pre-order, writing, “Share in a Florida elementary student’s Volunteer pride by wearing his design on your shirt too!”
But that’s not all, a share of the shirt’s proceeds will go to an anti-bullying charity.
The story has received mass praise for both the University of Tennessee and the boy’s teacher for taking the time to share the story.
She wrote in an updated status, “I don’t even know where to begin. I am so incredibly amazed at the outpouring of love and support for my student!! So many people have reached out over the last 24 hours and I have truly lost track.”
The support for the shirt was so immense that it actually caused the servers to crash temporarily!
The University shop tweeted, “Thank you Vol Nation! Currently, our website has crashed due to the overwhelming support! We are working on the problem.”
However, there were a few people concerned that the University of Tennessee was profiting off the boy’s situation.
While it is strange that the University of Tennessee would not let the kid see any profits for using his drawing, so long as a portion of the money goes towards the anti-bullying charity then it is still doing some good surely? It’s sometimes easy to be too cynical on the internet, and while I completely agree that there should be something that the kid gets for the design, it is still a good thing that the University did sending his class the package. Also, the message behind the shirt is still one of positivity isn’t it?
One person tweeted an idea that some of the money made from his design could go towards his college fund, which is a pretty good idea I reckon!
h/t: Buzzfeed News
