Emotional moment high school janitor receives SHOCK surprise from students
A beloved high school janitor got the surprise of his life when a group of students gifted him a Jeep Wrangler, his dream car.
Francis Apraku, janitor at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginiawas speechless when students gave him a birthday present on Monday.
The group of first-year students has been raising money for months GoFundMe and ultimately exceeded expectations after raising over $20,000 for Apraku. They also received support from a local car dealer, Andy, who helped them pick out his dream vehicle.
Apraku, who fell to the ground in shock, expressed his gratitude to God and the students for the gift.
With tears in his eyes the janitor said Fox5: “I will thank Almighty God for making today for me. I hope today is a great day for me.”
Francis Apraku, a janitor (center) at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia, was speechless after students rallied to give him a birthday present Monday
The students raised more than $20,000 to give Apraku his dream car: a Jeep Wrangler with a tire on the back
He turned to the boys and said, “And I also thank my younger brothers around me. Thanks to them, this dream has come true.”
May God bless them abundantly and make all their dreams come true in their lives.
Video captures the moment Apraku walks into the school parking lot and sees the Jeep.
He quickly realized it was his hand. He immediately dropped to the ground and turned around with a big smile on his face as the boys walked over to hug him.
They picked him up and walked him to his car, as he cried with his hands over his face.
Apraku then looked at his new car and then came across the rear tire he had been dreaming of for so long.
Apraku, who fell to the ground in complete shock, expressed his gratitude to God and the students for the gift (left). He then rolled excitedly on the ground (right).
“Since we met Francis he has been super nice and friendly and sometimes he even prays for us,” the boys wrote on the donation page
He wrapped his arms around the tire and smiled with tears in his eyes as one of the boys patted him on the back.
The janitor stood there for a moment, looking down as he continued to cry, while a crowd gathered around him.
Then he held his keys in his hands, raised his arms to the sky and closed his eyes in prayer.
Apraku got into his new car, with a big red bow on the hood, while everyone cheered him on.
He remembers telling them that his favorite car was a Jeep Wrangler “with a tire in the back of the car.”
“When I said that, the boys looked at me, and I didn’t understand why they were looking at me like that.”
Apraku expressed his gratitude to God and the students for the gift
He is seen wrapping his arms around the giant tire as one of the boys pats him on the back
Apraku also remembers feeling confused when three students asked him for his email address before the big day.
“I don’t know much about the phone, and I don’t know much about email,” he said.
One of the students, Bennett, told media that the group “never thought it would get this far,” saying they raised $5,000 on their first day.
Another student, Logan, said they received $19,000 in about three months and after six months they had raised more than $20,000 for the janitor.
“Since we met Francis, he has been super nice and friendly and sometimes he even prays for us,” the boys wrote on the donation page.
Apraku said he will never forget the day the students made his dreams come true.
“I feel happy, happy, happy, and I don’t know how to describe it,” he said.
After the wonderful surprise, Apraku and the students gathered at a local restaurant, Vienna Inn, to commemorate this memorable day together.