Watch: Elderly worker surprised with $145K after woman’s fundraiser goes viral
Elderly worker given $145K after woman’s fundraiser goes viral
Brooklyn Green, 21, said she had just watched a movie with her grandparents at the AMC theater in Maryville, Tennessee, on May 30, when she noticed an elderly employee walk by, pushing a cleaning cart. Green decided she wanted to help her retire.
An elderly worker at a movie theater was surprised with a gift of nearly $145,000 after a young woman launched an online fundraiser to help her retire.
Dig deeper:
Brooklyn Green, 21, had finished watching a movie with her grandparents at an AMC in Maryville, Tennessee, when she noticed an elderly woman pushing a cleaning cart.
Green said she felt compelled by God to help the woman and started a GoFundMe account.
FILE - Brooklyn Green, 21, (L) and Mary (R) posing for a photo after Green told Mary about the $145,000 GoFundMe. (Brooklyn Green via Storyful)
What they're saying:
"I saw her and God led me to take a video of her and I wasn’t sure why. I drove home and posted it, and it got over $100k in less than 24 hours of posting," Green told Storyful.
"Seeing someone in their later years still working so diligently inspired me to try to make a difference," the GoFundMe description read.
The fundraiser reached over $145,000 and Green spoke with the theater’s manager to find out when and how was the best way to surprise the elderly worker, known as Mary, with the money.
The backstory:
To Green’s surprise, the manager said Mary actually enjoyed working at the theater and had been working at movie theaters for decades. Retiring would actually have negative impacts on Mary’s life.
Despite this, the manager did tell Green that Mary would very likely still accept the funds and donate them to a church or to help the homeless, which Mary was known to do when she wasn’t working at the theater.
Local perspective:
Green later showed up to the theater during Mary’s shift and presented her with a piece of paper that showed the amount of money that was raised from the GoFundMe account.
Mary said that she would use it to help a local family she was supporting.
Mary also thanked everyone who donated to the GoFundMe.
"I’m overwhelmed and certainly blessed by the Lord and you wonderful people," she said.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from Storyful. This story was reported from San Jose.