Family, Friends, GRPD Participate in Car Parade For Boy’s 12th Birthday

Neighbors, friends, family, and the Grand Rapids Police Department came together Saturday to celebrate 12-year-old Peter Dieleman's birthday.

Wood TV 8 reports that Peter is currently recovering from a brain tumor after being diagnosed with cancer in July.

A parade of cars drove by on Saturday to support Peter and wish him a happy birthday.

Peter told Wood TV 8,

(It’s) surprising, crazy, I did not think that many would come,” Peter said. “I was excited to see them."

Due to social distancing restrictions and the stay at home order during the coronavirus pandemic, the family was not able to celebrate Peter's birthday as initially planned. They'd reached out to family and friends with an idea about a car parade, when Peter's godmother suggested they ask the police to participate.

Grand Rapids Police Sgt. Neil Gome told Wood TV 8,

“It [the pandemic] kind of brings out the best of us sometimes. We have to think outside the box...We’re community-oriented police department. We’re in a different set of times where social distancing and being further apart makes things a little bit more difficult, but we find a way to do it. This is a great example of that.”