The death of George Floyd resulted in protests, and in some cases, destruction and violence across the United States. It has been a difficult couple of weeks as many people feel deeply hurt. 

While some parents have been trying to figure out what to let their kids about racism and protests, other kids are stepping up to help out.

Antonio Gwynn is 18-years-old, and he is graduating from high school this year. He lives in Buffalo, New York, and when he turned on the news and saw the damage caused to his hometown from protests and riots, he decided to do something about it.

At 2a.m., armed with a broom and a trash bag, Gwynn spent 10 hours sweeping up broken glass and debris. By the time other members of the community arrived to help, Gwynn had almost completely finished cleaning up one of the city’s main streets. 

Word spread through Buffalo about Gwynn’s hard work, and eventually Matt Block heard about the teen. Block wanted to learn more about Gwynn, so he looked him up on Facebook. That’s when he saw that the teen was looking for advice about buying a car. 

Block happened to have a car that he didn’t drive very often, but he couldn’t bring himself to sell it. He decided to give the car to Gwynn. Block didn’t know it at the time, but this car in particular, a red Mustang, had special meaning to Gwynn.

Watch the video below to hear more about Gwynn’s hard work and how members of the community (including Block) have decided to thank Gwynn in ways he never expected.

Gwynn didn’t decide to clean up the street for any other reason than helping his community. The fact that he’s now getting a free car, free insurance for a year and a free college education is a complete surprise, and completely overwhelming.

Gwynn’s mother died in 2018, but he hopes that he has made her proud of him. Many people who have heard about his story certainly feel that she is indeed proud of her son and still watching over him. One person commented, “Great story! Made me cry! His mom is still watching over him. By the car being same car she had! You will go far in life! Hope to read of his success down the road! Great job!” Another person commented, “His mom raised a great son. She is smiling down on him from heaven 😇. God bless him for making a difference. Good luck young man.”