The restaurant was crowded and noisy. Glasses clinked, country music filled the air and the wait staff bustled from table to table. The casual atmosphere suited us as we had our son, daughter-in-law and 2-year-old granddaughter along.

As is tradition in this steak house, the staff joins together once an hour and dances around the restaurant, arms linked, kicking and clapping as they wind their way around the tables.

Our granddaughter was enchanted with the smiling dancers, and we could see the wistfulness in her eyes as the lively group passed our table.

When our waitress, Lauren, returned with our check, we mentioned how much our granddaughter loved the dancing, and Lauren asked if she wanted to come dance with them.

We said we were getting ready to leave, but Lauren said she’d quickly round up the staff so Kylie could dance.

In minutes, Lauren came back to our table with a big smile and held out her arms, inviting our granddaughter to come dance as the music began.

The waiters and waitresses were clapping and kicking, and our granddaughter was right there with them. All of us had happy tears in our eyes, watching Lauren and the wait staff helping our young granddaughter learn the dance.

Our granddaughter twirled, clapped and spun with the teens. At the end, the manager proudly bestowed a smiley face sticker on our granddaughter’s shirt, and the huge grin on that little girl’s face is one we’ll never forget.

Later that night, I opened my e-mail and read a letter from parents whose son, Alex, had attended the Boy Scouts of America’s Cockrell River Camp, a summer camp north of Houston.

Alex has High Functioning Autism and is easily overwhelmed. During registration, Alex’s worried parents made sure they talked with all the counselors about their son’s special needs.

It was easy to see these were parents who kept a close watch on their son yet wanted him to experience
summer camp as independently as possible.

In the letter, Alex’s parents noted that one Eagle Scout, Will Baumgartner with Troop 1880 in Richmond, took it upon himself to be Alex’s unofficial helper. Because of Will’s voluntary involvement and willingness to help someone with special needs, Alex was able to complete numerous merit badges and enjoy camp.

The biggest surprise, however, came at the swimming hole. At the beginning of camp, Alex was overwhelmed with the swimming test, so when it was time for the Aquafest race, Alex got into the water and stayed in one spot, not moving.

The swim directors jumped in the water next to Alex and encouraged him. Because these two young men came to Alex’s rescue, the rest of the campers began calling Alex’s name, and the parents said it was like a “Hallmark moment” to see the whole camp cheering for Alex.

So many times, we hear about the callousness and viciousness of people in our world. That self absorption is evident all over the place, from people who cut us off in traffic, jump ahead of us in the grocery store line and think only about their time and what the world can give to them.

But young people like Lauren and Will make this world a better place, and people like them, people who live from the heart, are all around us.

From volunteering to help a special needs boy earn a merit badge to helping youngsters on the playground at Vacation Bible School or simply taking a few minutes out of a busy work schedule to teach a child how to dance the Cotton Eyed Joe, life is a better experience when we reach out and improve the world one unselfish act at a time.

This article was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.