Going Bigger
“He’s healthy and strong and happy, and we’re just really excited that he can celebrate and be around all the people,” his mom said. For Whitaker’s birthday, she had dozens of real-life yellow cars and trucks gathered in front of the house. Many more were lining his one-mile path to preschool. It was all part of the epic birthday surprise! Erin wondered if they could go even bigger, so she put the word on Facebook. Ultimately, over 100 yellow vehicles and supporters showed up! “It’s so much bigger than I thought it would be,” Erin said. “It’s amazing. I can’t believe how great this is.”
Going Bigger
Driving Up
One person who showed up for support is Patricia Jones-Johnson. While she lives in New York, she drove her car down after reading about Whitaker’s story on Facebook. “He’s been through so much,” she said. “I had to be here and support this.” Before the sun came up, the sheriff’s department was in the neighborhood organizing all the yellow cars and trucks so everything would be set up when Whitaker left for preschool. “I drove here maybe an hour early just to see everybody lining up, and I was crying my whole ride here,” said Melissa Poggio, a teacher at Whitaker’s school. “I couldn’t believe that so many people came out for this.” Whitaker’s mom said, “This is the power of community right here. This is just insane. He’ll remember this forever.”
Driving Up
