TRENTON, S.C. (WJBF)– 9-year-old Taji Johnson is on a mission! The Edgefield County child wants to help as many people as he can in his lifetime. And he’s already off to a great start!
He personally buys tents to give to homeless people. When our cameras were rolling it looked like he had the support -and admiration- of just about everybody in Edgefield.
It’s no wonder he’s this month’s Giving Your Best winner!
“And we were all in on this surprise for you! So, take your award!! Did you see all the people who are here for you? Do you recognize a lot of those people? I think you know those over there pretty well? They are so proud of you. You’re going to grow up and be an adult one day and if you’re like this when you’re 9… you’re gonna be PRESIDENT!”
A huge party for a little kid…. who loves macaroni almost as much as he loves helping people who don’t have a place to sleep. Teresa Martin nominated Taji for the award.
“He’s an extraordinary human being- I mean, just look at him!”
Taji Johnson has a heart for the homeless.
“I was just sad since they didn’t have homes of no where to go. One time I gave food to a homeless person so it made me think about how I could help them out, so I would go talk to them or just ask them if they needed a tent or if they were homeless and sleeping outside.”
This is video from the day when Taji’s first shipment of tents was delivered… boxes and boxes full… 34 tents in all. Taji handed out these tents to homeless people he met in Augusta, Columbia, Greenville, Charleston and Macon.
His chief driver- mom Chemikia- chokes back the tears when she thinks about the heavy issue Taji wants to tackle.
“When we go out, though, most of them give him their experience- why they’re there. He cries, too. So, whenever we go places we try to find somewhere for him to not be so depressed, give him something fun to do before we come back home. But, it doesn’t matter, he has seen more but I don’t regret it and I don’t think he does, either.”
As nominator Teresa Martin says, we all could take a page out of Taji’s book, and do something to help, rather than hurt, each other.
“You don’t find too many 9-year-olds that will do stuff like that, for other people, you mostly find them for what they can get right now.”
If you want to help Taji, go to his Facebook page or send your donations via CashApp, Venmo, or through the mail. Each tent is $25.
Do you know someone who deserves the Giving Your Best award? Nominate them here.
