JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An 11-year-old Jacksonville girl was named an honorary truck driver for the day on Wednesday at a local Walmart as part of the nationwide “Walmart Heart” program.
J’Niyah Harvey, who is diagnosed with autism, enjoyed her special day at the Walmart on Lem Turner Road as a part of a nationwide program called “Walmart Heart.”
There was a ceremony for Harvey, who also got a shopping spree. She said she had something special on her list.
“I am enjoying it,” Harvey said. “I am looking forward to getting a watch.”
Harvey received flowers, an official Walmart driver uniform, a badge and, of course, a ride in the truck!
Harvey’s grandmother, Ramona Carswell, will never forget seeing Harvey riding around being cheered by Walmart drivers and employees and even Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue members.
Carswell has been raising Harvey for the last three years after Harvey’s mother died.
“The biggest challenge is just learning how to cope without [her] mom,” Carswell said. “She is very bright in school. She catches on very well. She is very intelligent. She does a lot of self-teaching.”
Walmart drivers started the nationwide Walmart Heart program in 2006 to make children or adults with health or developmental challenges and military veterans feel special. They were inspired by a boy diagnosed with leukemia whose dream was to one day become a truck driver.
Locally, Kwasi McDowell is a part of the program as a driver. He and all of the others put on the events on a volunteer basis. They say they do it to put a smile on someone’s face and show them that the community cares.
“You have a heart and that is what Walmart Heart is about,” McDowell said. “To be able to just spend 10 or 15 minutes with such a special child. That is what we are here for. It is good knowing that you are able to touch someone’s life for that moment. To see that smile, to maybe even see that tear. Just to bring happiness to a child’s life. That is what we were born to do.”
“[J’Niyah] really has a large support system,” Carswell said. “I am not surprised at the support, but to get it from the company that I’ve been with for 28 years, it is just amazing. It means the world to me.”
The Walmart Heart program members select four recipients a year to become honorary drivers.