Kind Students Noticed 80-Yr-Old Janitor Come Out Of Retirement To Pay His Bills, Raised $270,880 For Him
When a couple of kind students noticed that their janitor, who had previously retired, began working again at their school in order to pay his increased rent costs, they fundraised enough money to help him stay retired.
Several students at Callisburg High School in Callisburg, Texas, noticed one day that their previously retired janitor, Mr. James, had returned to school and was again emptying the trashcans. One of the students, Marti Yousko, always appreciated Mr. James and described him as sweet and “very shy, very quiet.”
After talking with Mr. James, they learned that his rent had recently gone up $400 a month, so he needed to return to work again at the high school in order to keep up with his living expenses.
“This is our 80 y/o janitor who had his rent raised and had to come back to work,” Student Greyson Thurman wrote in a post online.
Marti and Greyson felt compassion for Mr. James after seeing him return to work at their school.
“No one his age should have to be cleaning our messes up to continue to live,” Greyson said. “When I saw him in the hall, it broke my heart. Nobody at that age should be working; they should be living the rest of their life, you know? They deserve to enjoy everything.”
“It’s just so sad seeing an 80-year-old man having to do things an 80-year-old shouldn’t have to do,” another Callisburg High school senior, Banner Tidwell, said.
The kind students decided that they wanted to setup a GoFundMe for Mr. James, with the goal of raising $10,000 to help him pay his bills. Marti helped spearhead the effort and then Greyson made the post online.
“Hey guys I’m having a fundraiser for our janitor who is struggling to pay his rent,” Greyson explained. “He had to leave retirement to continue to pay his rent that was raised. Nobody deserves to work their whole life. Just a little will change his life!! Let’s help Mr. James out!”
