Tario Lavelle Fuller Jr., a 19-year-old freshman football player at Purdue University and Gwinnett native, is credited with a generous act of kindness that went viral last week.
Megan Shufflebarger, a mother of three, was at a Target in Indiana when her soon-to-be 3-year-old daughter Kinley noticed a doll on the shelf that she wanted for her birthday.
A young man took note and knelt down next to the young girl and asked her which one was her favorite, according to CBS. He took it and walked away.
Moments later, the young man returned with the same doll – and a receipt. The stranger told Kinley to “have a very happy birthday” and left.
The mother posted a photo of the anonymous man and her daughter to Facebook, saying her heart was "about to explode."
“To this generous young man, whoever you are, I hope you see this and more importantly, I hope you know what a good young man you are.”
Purdue Athletics noticed the viral Facebook post and shared it on their page, adding "We couldn't be more proud of the type of young men and women in our athletics department."
Originally from Sugar Hill, Fuller graduated from Lanier High School in 2015, where he was a two-time captain of the football team.
“He’s a guy that cares about others first,” said Lanier High School football head coach Korey Mobbs in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He was a leader among his peers."
The Lanier High School football program is just six years old, and Tario has been Lanier's biggest college football recruit to date, according to Mobbs. Fuller is now a running back for the Purdue Boilermakers.
“Tario is magnetic from a personality standpoint," Mobbs said. "He's usually got a smile on his face and it's just great to see him doing things for other people.”
The head coach says he still keeps in touch with his former student.
"He's just a quality young man with character and we're proud of who he is," he said.
Fuller declined to comment.
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