Every Kid Should Have a Crossing Guard Like This

On a frigid Chicago morning, a crossing guard with sturdy boots became the center of a literally uplifting viral moment. Josenrique Rodriguez, 13, was stalled a block from Jamieson Elementary School, staring at a mix of ice, snow, and puddles that threatened both his feet and his new Air Jordans. Crossing guard Joe Sass, 44, walked over and asked if he could hoist the seventh grader onto his shoulder, per the Washington Post. Josenrique said yes, and Sass—stop sign in one hand, student over the other shoulder—carried him through the flooded crosswalks to dry pavement next to the school.

Sass even bent down at one point, Josenrique still hoisted over his shoulder, to pick up a water bottle that had tumbled out of the teen's backpack. A WGN helicopter, already in the area due to a ruptured water main that caused the mess in the first place, captured the 90-second scene from above. After a reporter posted the video on social media with the label "HERO CROSSING GUARD," it drew more than 800,000 views and a wave of comments praising Sass and other workers like him who rarely get public attention. "Great crossing guards and great janitors are the backbone of every school," one person wrote. Calls for a fundraiser quickly followed.

A friend of Sass set up a GoFundMe that had taken in more than $8,000 as of Friday morning. Sass says he plans to give half to a local nonprofit that mentors young people, then use the rest at local businesses hit hard after recent immigration-enforcement actions. A crossing guard for more than four years, Sass says he approaches the 850 K-8 students at Jamieson the way he treats his own 9-year-old daughter—offering fist bumps, small talk, and, when needed, a steady hand. "I like being a helper," he tells the Post. "I'm just a friend out here helping my neighbors."