Some trash truck drivers in the South Bay get a celebrity treatment every Wednesday.
Once a week, a Redondo Beach resident exuberantly cheers and jumps while those sanitation workers do their jobs. That resident is 21-year-old Ryan Davidson. The young man is severely impacted by autism, but he’s not letting his disabilities get in the way of exuding joy and excitement for his favorite thing: trash trucks.
“Wednesday is Ryan’s favorite day of the week,” explained Lisa Davidson, Ryan’s mom. “We have multiple trucks coming through. As each one comes by, he hears them coming, throws on his shoes, runs out to the alley with us.”
Ryan has been a standout to the sanitation workers as well. Their weekly hellos have led to a special friendship for both Ryan and the employees from Athens Services.
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It's a big joy fest as they come through the alley every week.
Lisa Davidson, Ryan's mom
“It’s a big joy fest as they come through the alley every week,” Davidson said. “We see them at other places in town. They always recognize us, too – waving and honking. They’ve come to appreciate him.”
After years of receiving love and appreciation from Ryan, the sanitation workers decided to return the favor this past Thanksgiving. They gifted him a swag bag from Athens Services, which included a lunch box, baseball cap, and a T-shirt.
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“That shirt, of course, instantly became his favorite shirt,” the mother described. “He insists that he washes the shirt every night so he can wear it every day.”
Davidson called the friendship between Ryan and sanitation workers “a thing of beauty.” She said she appreciates the trash truck drivers who took the time to get to know her autistic son.
“Kudos to the workers. It may not be the everyone in the world who would do that, and it means the world to us,” Davidson said. “Ryan is the type of a person if you give him a few minutes, he will grow on you.”
Davidson also hoped that more people would understand people with disabilities, too, have joys – like Ryan and his trash trucks.
The warm feelings appear to be mutual, according to an official at Athens Services.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to bring joy to Ryan and his family each week,” Sharon Shapiro-Fox, Athens Services Director of Government Affairs, said in the statement.
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