VIENNA, VA — Francis Apraku fell to the ground in disbelief when he first saw the sparking red Jeep complete with a bow. “This my car?” the high school janitor asked students with tears in his eyes. The answer was yes.
Patch first reported on the fundraiser for Apraku, an immigrant who moved away from family and friends to the U.S. and works as a janitor at Vienna’s Madison High School. A group of Madison High School students had gotten to know Apraku when he was cleaning the locker rooms while they were doing lifts for football. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, Apraku shared his dream of owning a Jeep Wrangler.
For Apraku, that was just a dream. That’s until he saw the Jeep Wranger in the parking lot of Vienna Inn and the high school students he’d gotten to know.
Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“This ninth day of September, I will never, ever forget today,” said Apraku.
The fundraiser started as a joke to see if the Madison High School students could raise money to buy the car for their janitor by the time they graduated. Then the fundraiser gained $10,000 in donations within two days, and the students realized they could make the dream car a reality for Apraku. Lydia Russo with One Neighborhood Foundation helped raise awareness about the fundraiser to get more donations.
Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“It’s amazing how a bunch of people, I think 300 people, can come together and raise money for a person that they don’t even know so fast,” Bennett Hibshman, one of the students, told Patch. “I think that’s just great and that speaks for itself when speaking about how our community can come together.”
Click Here: Lionel Messi Jersey Sale
Just before the students presented Apraku with the Jeep on Monday, their fundraiser topped $20,000. Andy Britt, father of one of the students, works at Ted Britt Ford in Fairfax and helped the group acquire the car.
Once the new school year came around, the students were ready to give Apraku his car. Apraku had no idea what was coming when the students said they were going to surprise him and agreed to meet Monday before his shift.
The students didn’t expect Apraku’s reaction of continued disbelief, from first seeing the car to sitting inside and starting the engine. Hibshman said that reaction showed how much the janitor appreciated it and made it all worth it.
“It’s been a long time coming, six months. We really didn’t think we were going to get to give him the Jeep in four years, but it happened so fast,” said Hibshman. “It’s definitely exciting to see his reaction and finally get it done.”
Apraku thanked God and the students for the selfless gift.
“May God richly bless them and make all their dreams come true in their life,” said Apraku.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.