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Proof that a tremendous amount of good exists in the world: a 56-year-old factory worker from Michigan who made headlines this week for walking 21 miles each day to and from his job has inspired countless folks to reach out and help him in any way they can—thanks to the compassion of a 19-year-old student from Detroit, who read his story and created a GoFundMe page in his honor.
Evan Leedy was reportedly checking out his Facebook feed when he came across the story about James Robertson, a man so dedicated to providing for his family that he treks miles and miles to and from work each day. Given how rare it is to hear about that kind of work ethic these days, Leedy says he took a good, hard look at his own life—one that he says affords him the privilege of hiring an Uber car if his car breaks down—and immediately decided to reach out and do something to help Robertson.
Robertson works five days a week at a factory in Rochester Hills, has been making the daily journey since his 1988 Honda Accord broke down, and never complains about his commute. Leedy set up a GoFundMe page for the Detroit native. And the college student aimed to raise $5,000 for him so that he could help him pay for taxi rides or bus fare.
Then the incredible happened: Leedy walked away from his computer for one hour, returned, and found people had already donated an astounding $2,000.
And then the big wigs got involved. Honda reportedly contacted Leedy and offered to donate a car to Robertson. A local Chevrolet dealership made the same offer.
And even without the generosity of these car companies, ordinary, kind people have helped raise more than $145,000 for Robertson—in one day.
It should be mentioned that another guardian angel named Blake Pollock, who is a banker, noticed Robertson walking to his $10.55 an hour job a few years ago while the man was cutting through the parking lot of his office. After stopping him and asking what he was doing each day, Pollock was reportedly so touched by his story that he began leaving his home at night to give Robertson a ride after his 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift was over.
A group of community leaders and professionals are reportedly offering to help Robertson manage all of the monetary contributions that are flooding in for him. Pollock, who is involved in the effort, emphasized that the intention isn't to change Robertson's life, but to "enhance it."
We can't wait to hear what Robertson has to say about all of this. And it warms the heart to think of others doing everything they can to help a person who has obviously not let life's obstacles get in his way of earning an honest day's pay.
What do you think about the effort to help Robertson?
Image via GoFundMe.com
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