Community members in Louisville, Kentucky, gave a local handyman and his loved ones a huge surprise on Friday.
When Robert Simpson lost his job and apartment a few months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, he stood at the Hurstbourne exit for a week holding a sign asking for work, according to WLWT.
At the time, he was living at the Red Carpet Inn with his girlfriend and her six-year-old son, worried about how he was going to keep a roof over their heads.
However, when someone posted a picture of Simpson with his sign on social media, the photo went viral:
Thanks to the internet, Simpson got a job with Green Star Home Remodeling, according to WDRB.
“He shows up every single morning, early morning shift, and he shows up happy,” said the company’s Matt Thomas. “He wanted this opportunity. He wanted this second chance, which everybody in this world deserves.”
In July, Green Star created a GoFundMe page to further assist the handyman:
Rob is a humble man and has not once asked for a dime he has not earned, but he and his family are without essential needs, such as a vehicle and a permanent place to stay, so it is Green Star’s hope that you will join us in supporting our neighbor Rob and his family by providing the funds needed to get him back on his feet.
So far, the site has raised $24,981 of its $20,000 goal.
However, the biggest surprise came Friday when Simpson’s coworkers said they were taking him to lunch. Instead, they took him to his new, fully furnished apartment.
“When we gave him the key, he was crying,” Thomas recalled.
The money raised from the GoFundMe page would take care of rent for at least a year, the WDRB article stated.
“I never thought I’d move into some place like this,” Simpson said, adding that his family would love it.
“Thank y’all so much,” he told Thomas.