Kindergartner Invites Her Beloved School Bus Driver To Be The Special Guest At Her Graduation Party

Mallie Courtney, a 6-year-old kindergarten graduate, extended an invitation to one of her favorite people: her school bus driver. When she and her mom, Olivia, were planning the six-year-old's party to celebrate her milestone, the little girl was adamant that he be on the guest list. 

The kindergartner invited her beloved school bus driver to be the special guest at her graduation party.

Mallie's aunt, Holly Bratcher, traveled from Florence, Alabama, to attend the little girl's graduation party in Bradford, Tennessee. During the festivities, she noticed an older man sitting with her niece. Upon learning that the man was her bus driver, Don Allen, or Mr. Don to Mallie, she recorded their sweet interaction and posted the video on TikTok.

In it, Allen can be seen sitting at a table with Mallie, chatting and playing games. "They played games and talked the whole time. This is the cutest thing ever," Bratcher wrote, adding in her caption that the pair "acted like best friends."

Being her bus driver, Allen saw Mallie every day, and the two always started the morning with a hug. So, when Mallie and her mom were planning the graduation party, the soon-to-be-first-grader didn't hesitate to invite Allen to be a special guest. Allen immediately accepted the invitation and told the young girl that he'd be overjoyed to celebrate and be a part of her day.

"I asked her mom, 'Who is that man?'" Bratcher told PEOPLE. "And she told me it was her bus driver, and how much Mallie adores him. When she told me that Mallie had invited him to her party, I thought it was the sweetest thing!"

RELATED: Teacher Shares What It's Like To Live In The Same Neighborhood As His Students — 'The Lessons Run Deeper'

Bratcher didn't expect the video of her niece and her bus driver to go viral.

Talking to PEOPLE, Bratcher explained that throughout the party, she couldn't help but find Mallie and Allen's constant interactions to be extremely cute. It seemed special, even if she didn't know how deep their bond and relationship went. Bratcher recalled needing to capture it on camera, but she certainly didn't expect the video to get over 5 million views.

"When I went through the comments, I was amazed how everyone was coming together to share their own stories of people in the school system that made impacts on their life," Bratcher said. "One comment that stood out to me was someone mentioned their 10th-grade teacher later in life came to their mother’s funeral. He was 75 at the time, and they said they would never forget that."

One commenter shared, "I invited my janitor from high school to my graduation party. And he was so excited to come, he brought his wife." Another user wrote, "My niece invited her 80-year-old crossing guard to her birthday, and she showed up."

RELATED: Off-Duty School Bus Driver Runs Into Burning Building To Save His Students

Bratcher hopes the video will show people that there are still genuine, kind individuals out there. 

Considering the times that we're in, it's easy to feel hopeless about the state of humanity. Many people are more concerned about themselves than building community. However, the relationship that Mallie and her bus driver have is proof that people can truly come together, no matter what.

"Genuine people still are here and want to help impact children’s lives and even older people’s lives. We live in a time of many sad things happening in the world, and seeing things like this gives comfort that with all the bad in the world, there is still good," Bratcher added. 

Mallie even expressed how much it meant for her to have Allen at her party, telling PEOPLE, "I was so excited that Mr. Don actually came! I ran and gave him a hug, and we ate together and played games, and I gave him my cupcake because I didn't want it. He said he was proud of me and that he will see me Monday morning. I liked hanging out with him the most, we are best friends." 

Sometimes the sweetest friendships come from the most unexpected of places. But it's proof that we all need connection, even if it's in the smallest way. 

RELATED: Staff Throws In-Hospital Prom After Student Misses Hers Due To A Broken Back — 'I Felt Like I Was Surrounded By Angels'

Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.