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This Police Officer Gave A Troubled Teen New Bedroom Furniture -- And Friendship

South Carolina Cop's Remarkable Act of Kindness
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By 

Overnight Editor, HuffPost

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A touching act of kindness in a small town is now being seen around the world -- and it started with this Facebook post:

Sumter, S.C., police officer Gaetano Acerra reached out to Cameron Simmons, 13, after the boy called police following a fight with his mother. Simmons told the officer he didn't want to live there anymore.

Acerra learned Simmons suffered from back pain because he slept on an air mattress that deflated during the night. And the boy had almost no other bedroom furniture at all, according to WIS-TV.

"My heart went out for him," Acerra told the station. "I thought the little things that he needed I could give him, to make him a happier kid."

So Acerra returned a few weeks later with a bed, a desk, a chair and a television. He even got a game system for the teen that someone had donated after hearing the story. Acerra plans to come back in the future with more furniture.

He also gave the kid something far more important: friendship.

"I didn't do this for publicity or to get people to notice me," Acerra told WIS. "I did it because I could. It was the right thing to do and I think people should do things like this."

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Before You Go

The Most Heartwarming Thank You Notes To The Police
For Brookline, Mass. Police In The Wake Of The Boston Marathon Bombings(01 of07)
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In the aftermath of April's Boston Marathon bombings, elementary students at the Lincoln School in Brookline, Mass., reached out to local law enforcement to thank them for the incredible job they'd done protecting their city. (credit:Facebook/Brookline MA Police Department)
For Brookline, Mass. Police In The Wake Of The Boston Marathon Bombings(02 of07)
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In the aftermath of April's Boston Marathon bombings, elementary students at the Lincoln School in Brookline, Mass., reached out to local law enforcement to thank them for the incredible job they'd done protecting their city. (credit:Facebook/Brookline MA Police Department)
For A San Angelo, Texas Patrol Supervisor(03 of07)
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In San Angelo, Texas, an anonymous citizen left a note on a Patrol Supervisor's windshield, and the police department posted it on Facebook asking others to share it in an attempt to find the thankful party. (credit:Facebook/City of San Angelo Police Department)
For The Newtown, Conn. Police Department(04 of07)
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When a flood of support came in for the victims of last December's school shooting in Newtown, Conn., volunteers stepped up and spent hours responding to the more than 175,000 letters and cards with handwritten thank yous. (credit:AP)
For An Oxnard, Calif. Police Officer(05 of07)
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When a little girl's Minnie Mouse bike in Oxnard, Calif., was reported stolen, Officer Michael Kohr showed up the very next day with a brand new one. The girl's mother posted a photo on Facebook of the two together, along with this cheerful thank you:"Yesterday morning on my way to take my daughter Bella on a bike ride, to our dismay we realized her cherished Minnie Mouse bike that Santa brought her had been stolen, along with our jogging stroller... This afternoon I received a call from Officer Kohr that he was on his way with a brand new Princess bike. He not only surprised her with a bike that is her favorite color featuring her favorite princess he took the time to teach her how to ride it. This is kindness and selflessness at its finest. This officer went well above his call of duty and took the time to make a little girls day. I can not fully express how grateful I am. He has left such an impression in our hearts, and am thoroughly impressed with his generosity. Thank you once again Officer Kohr." (credit:Facebook/Nina Sanchez)
For The Cleveland Police's Second District(06 of07)
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Cleveland Police's Second District used Facebook to share kidnap victim Michelle Knight's touching thank you note."Little treasures like this mean a great deal to some of us that have been involved with these young women," read the post. (credit:Facebook/Second District Community Relations Committee)
For A Philadelphia Police Department Sargeant(07 of07)
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One of the most well-known thank you's to police came from Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965, who reached out to the officer assigned to protect him in Philadelphia, Sgt. James Adair. AP reported that the letter went up for sale in April for $10,500. (credit:AP)
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