The Kids ARE Alright

I for one am tired of hearing people put high school and college-age people down. For my money, young people are just fine, and it's the adults of the world who are disappointments, like "pro-life" governors who also are big fans of child labor.

Owing to the fact that I am well into my dotage and still act like a member of a student government association or an exchange student from Mars, I look for stories that show young people in a good light, and I don't usually have to look far.

Take these three high school kids in Callisburg, Texas. They stepped up big to help out a struggling custodian.

Mr James, as he is known, retired from Callisburg High, and found himself unable to make his monthly bills, so he un-retired, and went back to work with the broom and mop in January.

The man is 80 years of age, and does not deserve to be scrubbing and waxing. So these three - two girls and a guy - set up a GoFundMe page on Feb. 15, to help the man out. 

“At first, the goal was $10,000 — and we know that $10,000 really isn’t anything these days — but we’re hoping that whatever we can get can give him a little bit more cushion,” senior Marti Yousko told local news station KTEN.

Mr James had confided in Principal Jason Hooper that his monthly rent had gone up almost $400, and he just couldn't afford it without going back to work.

 

The kids were sad to see that Mr James had had to come back to work, so soon after he had retired at the end of the last school year. In that situation, adults would have formed study groups and done surveys to find out how Mr James could stretch his money by shopping at ALDI and trying the day-old baked goods at ShopSumMor.

Kids, on the other hand, took a direct approach and said, let's do something for the man.

“When I saw him in the hall, it broke my heart,” senior Greyson Thurman said. “Nobody at that age should be working; they should be living the rest of their life, you know?”

Thurman posted a TikTok video of Mr. James on the job while he should have been home on the recliner. He labeled the video "Let's help Mr. James out!" adding, "My classmates and I hate seeing Mr. James here, no one his age should have to be cleaning our messes up to continue to live."

In one week, the GFM page brought in $279,905, and Thurman said, "He is VERY appreciative of everyone willing to give up their time to help him out and change his life. You all have shown what can happen when everyone gets together to help others!!! I think God did this to show that no matter how much evil there is good will always show it’s self! Mr. James thanks you all!! God bless yall!" 

And the adults would have been planning a bake sale and car wash for late in July.