(photo source Destiny Carreno via Facebook)
C.S Lewis once said, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching”. Young Kenny is a McDonald’s employee in Chicago, and recently his character was put to the test. A handicapped customer approached Kenny and asked simply, “Help me, please”. The man needed assistance in cutting up his food to eat. Kenny was working at the register, and according to a customer named Destiny Carreno, he closed it down, put on gloves, and assisted the man. Destiny was so moved by this compassionate act, that she snapped the photo above. It has since gone viral, and shared thousands of times of Facebook. To some, they may say, ‘he was just doing his job’. But look closer. Kenny was doing this out of love. He didn’t know this man, and as Destiny described it, it was during rush hour, when the store was busy. But in Kenny’s heart, he knew assisting this man was the right thing to do. This wasn’t about helping a customer, and there was no need to check with a manager or look in the McDonald’s Employee handbook for guidance. Kenny was helping another human being, and by everything I’ve read, he didn’t do it for any personal gain. According to Destiny, no one else really batted an eye in the restaurant at what was taking place. But she felt Kenny’s act of kindness needed to be recognized. Supposedly the owner of this store will be (or already has) recognizing Kenny. But McDonalds should take it a step further. You may have heard in the news recently that the Golden Arches’ sales have sagged some over the last few years. They have more competition than ever. McDonalds can’t buy this kind of publicity, which by the way, is not why Kenny helped this man. If I were a part of their marketing team, I would make certain that EVERY employee in all of their stores around the globe knew of Kenny’s compassionate act of going above his job description. Let him be the example. And while they’re at it, McDonalds should do a little digging…is Kenny a college student? If so, pick up the tab on his education. If he’s not, then give him a sizable bonus. They’re by no means obligated to do such a thing…but then again, neither was Kenny~
