Whether we notice it or not, there are a lot of people who are willing to help us out. And vice-versa. You may not even realize it, but there may come a time that an acquaintance you know may need a little extra support, and you’ll find it’s really easy for you to help them out.
That’s what this story from Citronelle High School in Alabama demonstrates. When a longstanding employee of the school fell on hard times, many of his colleagues pulled together to find a solution for him.
Samuel James had been walking to work for a while.
He used to drive, but his car gave out on him. Without a car and without the money to buy one, he was forced to walk to work.
To make matters worse, Samuel also got an injury. He had been working at Citronelle High School for the last 13 years and he wanted to continue that, but it was getting harder and harder.
Samuel was a valued member of the school community. Everyone wanted to help him out, but then the perfect opportunity presented itself.
After a little while, a fellow colleague at the school ended up having a car she needed to get rid of. Deborah Pippin is an English teacher at Citronelle High School and she had just bought a new car. That meant she was looking for someone else to take her 10-year-old car off her hands.
The principal of the school had been talking to just the right people at the right time.
Samuel James had recently mentioned to Principal Randy Campbell that he was saving money to buy a new car. Shortly after that, Principal Campbell ended up talking to Deborah Pippin and her husband about their car purchase. He told WALA-TV:
“I was in a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Pippin, and was talking about some recent purchases…They’d bought a couple of new vehicles, and they had this Highlander that they wanted to give to somebody, and asked if I knew anybody, and I said sure, Sam was the first one in mind.”
Receiving a car from the Pippin family was extra touching for Samuel because he was close with the family.
When they gave him the car, Samuel began to cry. Receiving a car is a big gift, and it feels even better when you aren’t expecting it and it’s something you really need. His life was about to get so much easier, and as he explains:
“I’ve known this family for a good eight, nine years that I’ve been here. And they’ve always been good to me…And I’m just thankful that the lord sent them my way and let me get this right here. And I’m blessed to have this, and blessed to have them as real good friends, the Pippins.”
Everyone at the high school agrees that Samuel deserves appreciation.
Samuel has been an integral part of that school for many years. When the car was gifted, they posted a video on their Facebook page and wrote:
“Thank you Sam for all your years of service and for keeping our athletic facilities and our grounds in great shape!”
People are understandably very touched by this act of community care.
In the Facebook comments, people are flocking to share how happy they are for Samuel.
Someone local to the community commented:
“So proud to live in this community and have these kind of people live here with us.“
While someone else wrote:
“Love to hear stories like this. I’m so proud of the staff and faculty as well as the community for coming together. Our world would be so much better off if we had others who would share the same kind of compassion and care for their employees.”
Watch the video below to see Samuel be surprised with a new car!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
