Kid hero: Officer Oliver patrols nursing homes, bringing smiles and hugs to the residents
Eight-year- old Oliver Davis dreams of becoming a police officer one day. But he already does the uniform proud, patrolling local nursing homes doling out flowers and hugs to residents— and bringing smiles to hundreds across the country!
Dressed in a pint-size police officer’s uniform and smiling wide, 5-year-old Oliver Davis marched into his local Kansas City, Kansas, police station, his mom, Brandi, by his side.
Ever since he was 3, Oliver had idolized police officers. So when Santa brought him a police uniform costume that year, he was over the moon with excitement. In fact, Brandi could hardly get him to take it off. And when he kept peppering her with questions about officers’ duties, she decided to let the real pros fill him in.
Touched, the officers happily explained that their main mission was to help people throughout the community. Oliver’s eyes shone with understanding and enthusiasm. And he told his mom, “I want to help people too.”
After some thought, Oliver knew just what to do. His great-grandparents lived in a nursing home nearby. “Can we take flowers there and pass them out to the people?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Brandi said, and after picking up several bouquets, she took “Officer Oliver” to the nursing home. As he handed out the flowers, Oliver chatted with the men and women and ended each visit with a hug.
Seeing the residents’ faces light up, Oliver’s heart swelled. He began regularly patrolling the halls of the nursing home, and as word spread of the joy he was bringing, other facilities started inviting him to visit too.
To help pay for flowers, Brandi set up the “Officer Oliver Police Flowers” Gofundme account. And today, Oliver, now 8, lifts the spirits of nursing home residents by handing out 100 flowers a week, along with hugs and autographed tickets reading, STOP! You have received a ticket for being too cute!
He also warms the hearts of the hundreds who follow his Instagram account (@officer_ oliver), as well as his brothers and sisters in blue who have made him an honorary officer. Oliver beams with pride, but it’s bringing smiles to greatgrandfathers and grandmothers like his own that gives Oliver the most joy.
“It makes me smile to see them smile!” he says. “I think other people should do more things like this, because just one act of kindness can change the world!”