Boy Is Rejected Before Dance — Then Date Shows Up And Mom Loses It
A teenage boy wanted nothing more than to attend his school dance. Unfortunately, he was turned down by every girl he asked. But on the night of the dance, a date came along. His mother walked out, and that’s when she saw what was in the doorway.
Daniel Rivas, a 17-year-old boy from Arizona with Down syndrome, is just like other kids his age, with the same dreams and desires as most teenagers. He dreams of going to college and becoming a chef. One thing Daniel has always wanted was to go to his homecoming dance. When the time came, he asked several girls to be his date, but was turned down.
Kylie Fronius, a 10th grader, who had heard that Daniel had been turned down by those he asked, decided to surprise her classmate. She asked Daniel to be her chaperone one day at school. Of course, Daniel was delighted with Kylie’s offer for a homecoming.
Daniel’s mother was shocked when she saw Kylie in her driveway, waiting to escort her son to the homecoming dance. “Someone took the time to take my son to the homecoming dance,” said Tonya Rivas, Daniel’s mother, as she choked back tears. “Words can’t even describe what I’m feeling right now,” she added.
Little did Daniel and his mother know, however, that the unexpected surprises were just beginning for the young boy, after Kylie’s sweet proposal hit the media and caught the attention of the local news. “I don’t think of children who have a disability,” “I don’t think of them as being different,” she added. “I hope I can make their evening fun.” And, the news team was about to make their hopes come true.
Fox 5’s Surprise Squad, known for recognizing people who do good things in the community by rewarding them with big surprises, decided that the positive attention Kylie and Daniel had received wasn’t enough. They gave Kylie and Daniel a big surprise
Daniel and Kylie’s night began when the Surprise Squad sent a Rolls Royce to pick them up. First, the pair was taken to an extravagant dinner party. Then they were taken to the homecoming dance, where they received the red carpet treatment for their entrance. Daniel broke down in tears of joy before the evening was over.
The emotional evening included a lot of crying, but they were tears of joy as the surprises kept coming.
Suddenly, the event was interrupted. “We’re not done yet,” announced host Monica Jackson, appearing on the auditorium stage.
The Surprise Squad ended the evening by assuring that more memories would be made, letting everyone know that they were sending Kylie, Daniel, and their families to Disneyland.
To ensure that the rest of Daniel’s dreams continued to come true, he was awarded a $10,000 scholarship from United Nissan in Las Vegas.
After that, they surprised Kylie with a brand new car.
“All they had to do was watch the (original) news story that aired, and they saw a young woman with a huge heart, and she was inspiring,” said Don Forman, the owner of United Nissan, revealing his motivation to make Kylie and Daniel’s dreams come true.
It often takes just a simple but kind gesture to create a snowball effect as others become motivated and inspired to be generous and kind as well.
Kylie Fronius Fronius didn’t do any of this for the attention or the rewards, but just because she wanted to make a classmate feel valued for the amazing person he is and that goes a long way.
Many praised the parents for raising such kind children. “Glad to see someone raising their children well,” wrote one person. Another person commented, “My mom is so happy for me” – Daniel, not only your mom is happy for you. The whole world is happy for you.”
