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Kalamazoo officers raise money to help mother with special needs child after car crash

Posted at 8:10 PM, Aug 26, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-12 12:39:17-04

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A teenage single mother who was taking her son with special needs to a medical appointment in Kalamazoo, got into a car accident while her 3-year-old had a seizure in the backseat.

Her car was totaled, but it’s what Kalamazoo Public Safety Officers did that’s turning heads.

After finding an envelope in the woman’s car, the officer brought it back to the police station. There, members of law enforcement filled it with cash to help the single mom get back on her feet.

"He reassured me that everything was going to be okay. I wasn't going to be alone through this and I was going to have all the help I needed," said Brittany Williams.

Brittany Williams,19, makes the 75 mile trip from Hillsdale to Kalamazoo about four times a month so her son, 3-year-old Kaiden Michael who suffers from mitochondrial disorder, can be treated at Bronson Hospital.

On Friday, while driving to an appointment Kaiden suffered a seizure in the backseat, causing Williams to rear end the vehicle in front of her. Kaiden was admitted to the hospital. Her car was totaled.

This is where Officer Fidel Mireles II came in. While searching the car for vehicle information he found something that caught his eye.

"I located in one of the glove compartments was a envelope," said Officer Mireles.

The envelope reads "Savings, we’re gonna make it buddy." The envelope was empty, so Officer Mireles brought it back to the police station.

"We were requesting everybody just to pass it around and whatever donation they could give would be grateful. Everybody dug into their pockets, whether it was a couple dollars, $5, $40, $50. Whatever," said Officer Mireles.

On the day little Kaiden was being released from the hospital, Kalamazoo Public Safety Officers showed up to give Williams back the envelope filled with cash to help her get back on her feet.

"I gave her the envelope and she immediately started to cry," said Mireles. "I just knew that after being discharged, there was another issue behind that and that's okay now what am I going to for transportation."

Williams used the donations to get a new van, securing transportation for her and her son, making sure they can get to his future doctor appointments.

There was also another surprise when Seelye Ford in Kalamazoo decided to help.

"We'd like to give you a gift card of a $1,000 dollars for gas for helping you get to and from your appointments," said Tyler Lovejoy with Seelye Ford.

Seelye Ford will also donate another $20 dollars to Williams for every vehicle they sell starting August 27th to the end of the month.

Kalamazoo Public Safety said that it’s noticed an increased amount of members of the public becoming afraid of law enforcement and hopes this type of instance will help reassure community members that they are here to help. The department has started a Facebook page to highlight the positive that their officers are doing in the community. Kalamazoo Public Safety has even instructed their officers to look for opportunities to provide positive serve in the communities they serve.