It’s one of those random acts of kindness: a railroad worker got 100 people and repainted a house. Sometimes, just when you think all hope for humanity is declining, there comes a news story like this which pushes aside all the suffering of the world for a little happiness.
It all happened in Oregon’s small town Pendleton. The house was of Leonard Bullock, a 75 year old retired man living on Social Security. He is living there with his wife, Dorothy, who herself was 70 years of age. The two had been married after they met at a church back in 2000. Having been both married twice before, they did not have any children together, but they lived happily with their four dogs.
Before that, Leonard had lived in the house since the 15th of May, 1982. He had been a fork lift driver for all his life, and retired in 1995. But the low pension from the government did not allow the couple the money to pain the house, let alone refurbish it.
That’s when Josh Cyganik, a 35 year old railroad inspector comes in. Having been a hero once before, when he worked for a tire company, saving a 17 month old baby from choking to death, he already had the spirit necessary to do something.
What he needed was motivation. After passing by the house for four years and waving to Leonard every day on the way to work, the man grew attached to him as he always waved back from his front porch. So one day, two teenagers passing by made a snide comment about the state of the home, saying someone should burn it down because of its bad looks. Cyganik grew angry, and thought that the comment affected Bullock greatly.
So the man went to Facebook and made a post which went viral in the whole region. He wanted to repaint the man’s house for him and was asking for volunteers. After the amazing response, he asked Leonard, and as he reports, Mr. Bullock was “ecstatic” at the news. Though the man never heard the two kids’ remarks, but was positively shocked when Josh Cyganik reported what they said.
On Saturdat at 8 AM, about 20 people turned out. By the end of the day there had been about 100. They were receiving donations from all the local companies: tools, people, and money. The Southgate Starbucks even donated iced tea and water totaling six gallons.
The man’s house is now nicely painted and it looks like insurance will accept it now. Two of the volunteers actually want to go back and fix the rear deck. With the help of Tum-A-Lum Lumber company, the volunteers already refurbished the porch and bought the couple some gardening tools.
Image source: dailymail.co.uk
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