Rochelle crossing guard spreads kindness and ensures safety of local students

ROCHELLE, Ill. (WTVO) — A retired man in Rochelle is spending his time off ensuring the safety of local students.

During the school year, Roger Pearson (70) spends his mornings and afternoons at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and North 9th Street in Rochelle.

Besides waving to his fellow community members in cars passing by, Pearson helps students from local schools safely cross the street.

“Kids are little,” Pearson said. “They don’t think about everything that they should when they’re walking to school, and sometimes you need somebody there to just remind them that there’s things out there that might hurt you if you aren’t watching.”

Pearson’s daughter introduced the idea of becoming a cross guard to him back in 2020. What started as an opportunity slowly became a hobby, one that he became extremely fond of.

“At the end of the day, you feel so good for having done something for your community and especially for the smiles on the little kids,” Pearson said. “That helps a lot.”

The job is linked to the Rochelle Police Department. The group posted about Pearson to Facebook, and other community members joined in on sharing their gratitude for his hard work and kindness.

“It’s like everything else in Rochelle; everybody’s a friend,” Pearson said. “Everybody looks after each other. It’s just nice to know you got people that are watching your back, too.”

Pearson said he plans to continue his work for as long as he can, and he will always cherish the memories he’s made.

“The first time, I had a little girl come up to me with a cup of coffee and said, ‘This is for you crossing guard,” Pearson said. “It keeps you young. It keeps you interacting with other people, and that’s the important thing.”