For the past three years, Drew Bausman of Sacramento, California has been UPS’s biggest fan.
Drew, who was born with Down syndrome, was just 4 years old when he first noticed the big brown trucks delivering packages in his neighborhood. He fell in love with their uniforms, trucks, friendly drivers, and the fact that they help people everyday by delivering what they need.
Delivery drivers were more essential than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drew’s mom Becky Bausman said there were way more trucks on their street than usual, which only made her son love them more!
He’s now 7 and his obsession hasn’t faded. Becky even got him his own child-sized UPS uniform, and he’s gotten a lot of use out of it so far!
They gave Drew a UPS truck that immediately became his favorite toy, took him to UPS stores to mail packages, and even gave their local drivers cookie packages.
“We cultivated (his interest) more and more,” Becky said.
To celebrate World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st, Becky took her son to the UPS store to hand out gifts for the drivers. The company kindly let the child help load packages into a truck, and then a higher-up in communications reached out to offer something even more special for their biggest fan: Delivery driver for a day!
“He morphed into a UPS truck driver,” Becky recalled of Drew’s big day. “He was serious and got right to work.”
UPS driver Ian Geddes showed up at Drew’s house in a mini truck painted with flames on the front and side. Together they loaded up the truck with packages full of toy UPS trucks, then drove them to Drew’s elementary school to deliver them to his fellow first graders. Ian even answered questions from the kids about what it’s like to drive for UPS.
Drew had the time of his life, and now he wants to be a UPS driver even more! Becky thinks this could be the perfect job for her son someday, because he has been delivering joy to everyone around him since the day he was born.
“Joy is kind of my platform as it relates to Down syndrome,” said the proud mom. “Because to be honest, having a kid with Down syndrome has been the greatest source of joy in my life. That’s what Drew’s here to do. He does it to everyone he meets, and it just moves you to tears.”
We can’t think of a better way for this little guy to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day! Thank you to UPS for making it happen for Drew, and for all they do to keep those packages coming our way.
Don’t forget to share Drew’s joy with a friend!
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