MOBILE, Ala. — Chick-fil-A is famously closed on Sundays. The hope is that employees will take this time to be with their family and friends. Last Sunday, employees of a Mobile, Alabama Chick-fil-A did just that.
Several weeks ago, Rene Sprague approached her brother with an unusual request. As a manager at a local Chick-fil-A, he and his employees were used to having Sunday off. Rene wanted them to make an exception for her son, Elijah.
Elijah Sprague is a 14 year old boy with autism and cerebral palsy. Born eighteen weeks premature, Elijah was given only a year to live. Thankfully, the doctors’ diagnosis was wrong and he continues to bring joy to his family’s lives each and every day.
Rene often takes Elijah to visit his uncle at the nearby Chick-fil-A restaurant. Elijah looks up to his uncle and hopes to one day work in the drive-thru, serving customers just like his uncle.
Those regular Chick-fil-A visits inspired a unique birthday idea: would Elijah be able to work in his dream job for the day? Rene’s brother wasn’t sure what the owners would say, but they happily agreed to open their store one Sunday for Elijah.
The staff prepared cookies for Elijah to hand out to his friends that had been invited to come to the restaurant for this special day.
Elijah had a great time serving his family and friends that came to help celebrate his big day.
