Witnessing an act of kindness.

Sitting on a rooftop near Wrigley Field, Ryan Hamilton noticed a man trying to hail a cab after the game. The man appeared to be blind and was not having much luck getting a cab to stop for him. As crowds of fans were leaving the stadium, many were busy making their way home and didn’t notice the man. He stood for several minutes trying his best to get their attention but unfortunately, not one cab stopped for him.

All you need is one good friend.

As Hamilton watches, unable to do much from the rooftop, he sees a woman come out of a restaurant and approach the man. She proceeds to hail a cab for him. Hamilton is so struck by this kindness that he records the entire encounter.

The right thing to do.

The woman, 26-year-old Casey Spelman, was in the area visiting some friends when she noticed the man waving his hand to get a cab. When she realized that no cabs were stopping, she went right over to him and tapped on his shoulder. “Do you want some help getting a cab?” – Casey asked him. The man was Yusef Dale, an assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago. After she asked him if he needed assistance, he jokingly told her, ““Yeah, you sound pretty, so cabs will probably stop for you before me.”

A good deed goes viral.

Hamilton posted the pictures of Spelman helping Dale and the story quickly went viral. Hamilton’s Facebook post read: “Wanted to give a shout-out to this girl. No idea who she is, but we are in Wrigleyville on the rooftop of Old Crow Smokehouse. There was a blind Cubs fan trying to hail a cab for several minutes until the lady came up and asked him if he needed help hailing a cab. She stood there with him until one pulled up. Awesome to see such kindness in a world that the media portrays so much hate in. Share freely in hopes that her kindness spreads.”

8 million views later.

After the Facebook post blew up, the local news interviewed Casey about her good deed. She said that while she helped Yusef to hail a cab, they talked about the crowds and about baseball. Soon enough, a taxi was pulling to the side of the road. Spelman gave him a hug before he got inside the taxi and drove away. “We laughed and exchanged goodbyes and went our separate ways,” Spelman told WRTV-Indianapolis

Inspiring others.

Casey was blown away by the attention the post received. She is a speech and language pathologist for the deaf the Indiana School. It’s possible that her work at the school gave Casey another perspective on those living with a disability. “It was a strange feeling to see photos of yourself that you did not know were taken…Not only did I not realize anyone was watching, but I had no idea it would have such an impact on people.” – Casey told WRTV-Indianapolis

“It’s OK if you are unsure of how to interact with someone, but do your best, be brave, and just be willing to help.” – Casey told WRTV-Indianapolis

Casey’s wise words are very true. We can all do a little bit to help others and sometimes the smallest act can make a huge different. In this case, that is exactly what happened.

Wanted to give a shout-out to this girl. No idea who she is, but we are in Wrigleyville on the rooftop of Old Crow…

Posted by Ryan Hamilton on Saturday, June 3, 2017