James Robertson’s daily commute to his Detroit factory job entails not only a series of bus rides, but a 21-mile walk on foot. He leaves at 8 a.m. for his 2-10 p.m. shift and often doesn’t get home until 4 a.m. It’s hardly an easy trip for the 56-year-old, but with no car and a meager wage, it’s a sacrifice he regularly has to make in order to make ends meet.
The local Detroit Free Press ran an article on Robertson earlier this month, tipped off by Blake Pollock, a banker who befriended him some two years ago. Since then, Robertson’s story has gone viral and moved many to offer their donations.
In particular, one 19-year-old Wayne State University student named Evan Leedy launched a GoFundMe.com campaign hoping to raise $25,000 for a new car. It’s since brought in a whopping $330,000, leading a local car dealership to gift Robertson his first new car in 10 years:
“I don’t like it, I love it,” said Robertson, 56, who appeared baffled as he sat behind the wheel of his 2015 red Ford Taurus. “If only my parents could see me now.”
Robertson thought he was going to look at cars to purchase with Evan Leedy and Blake Pollock, who both helped coordinate the gift, worth an estimated $37,000.
Instead Robertson was greeted by reporters and a team of supporters who first learned of his marathon commute this week in a story that ran in the Sunday Detroit Free Press.
Seeing as how we’re regularly bombarded with depressing news, a story like this feels especially heartwarming.
[Via NY Post]