A group of Virginia high school students teamed up to surprise their school custodian with a new car this week, after raising over $20,000 in just three months.
Francis Apraku, a custodian at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia, received the surprise on Sept. 9 in the parking lot of the Vienna Inn, a local restaurant, which shared the reveal in an Instagram reel on Sept. 10.
"Many of you have been following the heartwarming story of JMHS students who set out to raise funds to buy their custodian his dream car, a Jeep Wrangler. Today, they made his dream a reality and presented him with the Jeep!" the restaurant wrote in the caption. "We were honored to be part of this special moment today and thrilled to have this amazing group of young men celebrate with us and to see their reactions as they watched the news stories about their incredible achievement. Incredible!"
Bennett, one of the students behind the fundraiser, told "Good Morning America" Apraku is "more than a custodian" to him and his friends, and when they learned Apraku's dream was to own a Jeep Wrangler, they got to work.
"As a challenge, we decided to make a [fundraiser] to see if we could make his dream come true because he does so much for us but he gets nothing in return," Bennett told "GMA" via email.
Initially, Bennett explained that he and his fellow sophomore students at James Madison High School thought they would launch the fundraiser this past May at the end of their freshman year, and then by their senior year, they might possibly have enough to buy a new car -- but the donations quickly poured in.
"In the first two days, we raised $5,000 and we were in shock," Bennett said. "It was really amazing how the town could come together and raise that much so quickly for a man they never knew."
Apraku, who fell to the ground in shock and was all smiles after the touching surprise, said in a statement to "GMA" that he "will never forget" the kindness the students and their local community had shown him.
"The custodial staff and I deeply cherish the connection that we make with the Madison High School students. We all take pride in our work and love that we are made to feel such a welcome part of the school community," Apraku said. "I couldn't believe it when I received such an incredible gift. This means the world to me, and I will never forget their kindness."
Another one of the students, Nick, told "GMA" in a statement that surprising Apraku "was such a good feeling."
"I don't know how to describe it. Just knowing that all of our work to spread the word actually worked and we were able to get him the car, it felt incredible," he said. "He is always encouraging us and is such a great person, and if there's anyone who deserves this, it's him."
Liz Calvert, the principal of James Madison High School, expressed pride at the students' motivation to surprise Apraku.
"Our students, and these young men in particular, demonstrate exceptional kindness and generosity, making a positive impact on our school and our community," Calvert said in part. "This one act of kindness speaks volumes about our commitment at Madison to create inclusive environments routed in service, kindness, compassion, and empathy."
Bennett and his friends said they hope others will be inspired by their actions.
"Something my friends and I want others to know after reading or seeing the surprise is that you should think about the people who make your life easier who don't get enough appreciation," he wrote.
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