Boy Mows Lawns for Money to Help School Janitor Pay Off Mortgage and Retire — Story of the Day

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Holden muttered, and they stayed quiet for a while. “Why don’t you sell the house now?”

“Where would I live, kid? With rent these days, I would be homeless. And I have to keep working to eat,” the janitor continued. He wasn’t bitter or sad. He was just realistic.

“But you might not ever retire!” the teenager added.

“That’s true. I just hope I can pay the mortgage before I die,” he continued.

“How much is it?” Holden asked boldly.

“Well, I believe it’s a little under $30,000.”

“Wow. That’s terrible,” the teenager commented before widening his eyes. “Sorry. That was rude.”

But Fred laughed. “Let’s just work, kid.”

They finally removed all traces of the paint, but they both went home late that night… and Holden couldn’t sleep. He wanted to do something nice for the old man who hadn’t gotten him in trouble.

A few days later, he confessed what he had done to his mother and told her everything; then, he asked her how they could raise money for the old janitor. Maybe, if they paid his mortgage, Fred could retire.

His mother said that he could mow lawns around the neighborhood. It was mowing season, and tons of people were looking for help. So, Holden did so and surprisingly got a ton of clients. He grabbed his dad’s lawnmower and worked hard.

But after a few days, he realized the task was almost impossible. He would have to work for years, just like Fred, to raise the money, so he talked to his neighbors whose kids also went to the school. He took a picture of Fred from the school’s website and posted it online, telling his story, and finally decided to open a crowdfunding link for the janitor.