Whether Elijah Duplechain is hugging police officers, singing in church, cracking jokes or simply spreading joy, he has become a light in his community.
Elijah, an eighth grader at Opelousas Junior High with Down syndrome, recently made history as the first Opelousas Police Department Junior Police Academy graduate with special needs. But many know him best for his viral videos, especially with local officer Yolonda Lewis, whose friendship with Elijah has captured many hearts on social media.
Today, Elijah has more than 100,000 followers on TikTok and over 300,000 on Facebook, where viewers regularly share his videos and say they brighten their day…