We are headed into August, and many children are getting ready to head back to school. Here's an important tip to guide you as you parent: pay attention to your child's passion as well as your child's character. It will save their life and maybe someone else's.
Seeds for the future is the subject of this week's Feel-Good Friday.
The week of July 4, Avory Woolery of Kentucky was beating the heat at the community pool like every other kid. Woolery loves to swim and loves playing water sports with his friends. The then 11-year-old Woolery is not only self-aware, but situationally aware, which is a trait generally not found in tween boys. While he frolicked with his friends, Woolery noticed a man floating under the water, but not in a mellow way. This man was exhibiting signs of distress. Experts say that drowning often doesn't look big and dramatic, and Woolery keyed in on this.
“There was this man in the pool, like unconscious underwater, almost shaking, maybe, and my adrenaline kicked in,” Avory said.
Avory Woolery said he acted after seeing no one else respond to the man.
Without a moment's hesitation, Woolery dived into the water. Woolery had on goggles and flippers, which aided him in his rescue. Woolery even gave a shoutout to his friend to whom the flippers belonged.
"I was going down under with my goggles. The flippers that my friend Landon let me use. I have to shout him out for letting me to use them because if it wasn't for those things, I probably would not have been able to grab him out in time," Woolery said.
What an incredible kid and what a reflection of character. Woolery said something else that also reflected the quality of his heart and character:
“No one was doing anything, so I put on my goggles. I went underwater,” Avory said. “I grabbed him up and I just felt really bad because there was no way that I was going to let another man die today. He’s a human being. He should be treated as such.”
WOW. We'd have a different world if more adults thought in those terms. Woolery was able to retrieve the man and pull him from the water. The man's friends were activated and helped perform CPR, while somebody else called 911. Paramedics arrived and stabilized the man, taking him to the hospital, where he is reportedly in serious condition.
Woolery's father, Sean Woolery, was blown away by his son's actions.
Sean said he could not be more proud of his son's instinct to act.
"Him just jumping in and take it upon himself to just save somebody's life that he doesn't even know. It's just an exhilarating feeling having your son do that," Sean Wollery said.
"I'm just glad he was there. I'm glad he thought on his toes. He didn't hesitate one second. He jumped in. Put his life at risk to help another person. That's something all you can ask for. That's all you can ask your kids to do."
Woolery acknowledged that his parents raised him right.
"I like to shoutout my parents for having me raised right, and teaching me to always be kind to people," Woolery said
WATCH:
On Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) commended Avory Woolery for his bravery.
And there is no doubt there have been offers to pay for programs and training so that young Woolery can pursue his passion of being a lifeguard or a first responder. Like that 16-year-old California lifeguard who saved a man from the ocean, or Scott Ruskan, who saved children from the 2025 Texas flooding, Avory Woolery is a true hero, and his life hasn't even fully begun.
Editor's Note: At RedState, it's not all about politics and policy. We like to bring attention to what's good in the world, with columns like "Feel-Good Friday," "Start Your Weekend Right," and "Hoge's Heroes."
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