Empathic High School Students Raise Funds To Help School Janitor Retire

We believe that there’s kindness in every person’s heart, and although sometimes, all we may see around us are hateful acts done by hateful people, there are still stories like this that will make us believe that the youth is the hope of our future.

High Schoolers

When the students at Callisburg High School came back for this term, they noticed a new school custodian was around, and he was about 80 years old.

Meet Mr. Gailey

Mr. James Gailey, the school janitor, has recently gotten out of retirement because his rent had increased and he couldn’t afford it anymore so he had to look for a job to survive.

He Shouldn’t Be Working

Three high school students, Banner Tidwell, Marti Yousko, and Greyson Thurman, were sad to see an old man like Mr. Gailey having to work to make ends meet. Banner said, “It’s just so sad seeing an 80-year-old man having to do things an 80-year-old shouldn’t have to do.”

So They Did Something

The three students created a TikTok account and posted a video, telling the story of Mr. Gailey, and asking for people to donate even a small amount to help him retire.

Their Goal

They created a GoFundMe page for Mr. Gailey and linked the fundraising page to the TikTok video. Their initial target was $10,000, but they managed to reach it after only 12 hours.

Donations Kept On Coming

At first, only the students from their school were the ones sending funds, but word spread and people from all over Callisburg started donating too.

More Than Enough

By the end of their campaign, they were able to raise a total of $270,905 for Mr. Gailey, which was more than enough for his retirement.

Proud Principal

Callisburg High School Principal, Jason Hooper, expressed how proud he was of the three students. He said, “It’s just amazing, you know, of the need that was met because of three kind kids, but of all of our students who have pitched in to help that need.”

Watch how the three high school students made a huge impact on the life of Mr. Gailey in the video below.

Watch Video Here: