US students raise over $270K for janitor's retirement: 'Nobody deserves...'
Greyson Thurman, a student, shared a photo with James on GoFundMe page
When an 80-year-old man in Texas, United States, had to return to work post retirement because of a hike in the house rent, some students of a school - where he worked as a janitor - came forward to help him and leveraged the power of social media. They managed to raise about $270,000 to help James, the elderly janitor, get some much-deserved rest. According to local media, he was forced to come back to resume the daily work routine when the rent was increased to $400 a month.
Initially, the students had aimed to raise about $10,000 when the campaign was started on online fundraising website GoFundMe on February 15. "This is our 80-year-old janitor who has rent raised and had to come back to work. Let's help Mr James out," Greyson Thurman, one of the students, wrote on TikTok along with a photo that captured the elderly man in the middle of his daily routine. “Nobody at that age should be working; they should be living the rest of their life," Thurman told KDFW Fox 4, a local news outlet. In a span of 10 days, however, around 8,600 users came forward. The top donor contributed $2,500.
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Thanking people for the success of the campaign, Thurman left a note on Friday (February 25) on the GoFundMe page, saying that he was asked by James to close the campaign.
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"Thank you everyone who donated and helped Mr. James enjoy his retirement, he asked for us to take down the GoFundMe today, He is very appreciative of everyone willing to give up their time to help him out and change his life. You all have shown what can happen when everyone gets together to help others. I think God did this to show that no matter how much evil there is good will always show it’s self! Mr. James thanks you all," he wrote.
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