Virginia High School Students Raise $20,000 To Surprise Beloved Janitor With Dream Car
Francis Apraku is now the proud owner of a Jeep Wrangler.
Lydia Russo
When a janitor at a Virginia high school shared his birthday wish with a group of curious students last year, he had no idea they would make it come true.
In September 2023, Francis Apraku, a custodian at James Madison High School in Vienna, casually mentioned to a group of seven freshmen boys that his birthday was approaching. When they asked him what he wanted, he said he "desired to get a Jeep Wrangler."
Unbeknownst to Apraku, they set about making it happen. Six months ago they set up a GoFundMe for their “favorite janitor.”
“Ever since we met Francis he has been super kind and friendly and sometimes even says prayers for us… he said he has always wanted a Jeep Wrangler but could never afford it which is why we made this [GoFundMe] to try and raise enough to get Francis a Jeep Wrangler,” the fundraiser states, adding that their goal was to buy him a Wrangler by the time they graduate.
"We just kind of decided we were going to try to get him his Jeep Wrangler with the GoFundMe, and we never really thought that it would come this far," student Logan Georgelas recalled to Fox 5 DC. "When we got $5,000 in the first day, we were like, all right, this is real."
After months of fundraising, they reached their $20,000 goal on Saturday, September 7. The students cashed out the money, and with the help of a local dealership they purchased a red Jeep Wrangler for Apraku.
On Tuesday, the students and news crews gathered at a parking lot to surprise Apraku with his new car.
His reaction made it all worth it.
"I will give thanks to Almighty God for making today for me. Today is a great day for me and I didn’t believe this would happen in my life," an elated Apraku told Fox 5 DC.
Speaking with WUSA9, Apraku reflected on how it feels to have the students he serves every day serve him as well.
"It’s like, what I’m always saying is whoever you meet in this world, you need to respect,” he said. No matter what the person is. Whether old, whether young… you have to give the due respect the person deserves.
“I believe in myself and I believe in God, that whatever you ask God by faith, I think it comes true,” he added.
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