Donors rally to buy new truck for 83-year-old who walks miles to mow lawns

John Joyce is 83 years old and at that age most people would think that he would be retired and living the good life, but John is actually still trying to earn a living mowing people’s lawns for $20 apiece. The engine block in his truck recently broke down and two of his customers, Robert and Nikki Norton, decided to start a GoFundMe campaign that has attracted the attention of USA today and to date have raised close to $12,000 to go towards a working truck in just 20 days.

It’s amazing what a community can do when it decides to rally around an amazing man. Given he’s only charging $20 for a freshly mowed lawn, Joyce would have had to mow nearly 600 yards to raise $12,000. While he’ll most certainly have a working vehicle in no time, Joyce clearly isn’t mowing lawns to build wealth. He just wants to be able to get by, help his daughter raise her three children and work simply because he loves to stay active and productive.

 "I think anybody who is 83 years old who works as hard as he does, as loyal and faithful as he is, his work ethic and character, should have a vehicle to drive and do his work in." - Robert Norton

This isn’t the first time donors have rallied around a GoFundMe campaign for someone who deserves it. In February, hundreds of generous people opened up their wallets to raise a staggering $311,000 for 56-year-old Detroit resident James Robertson. Robertson had been walking 21 miles to get to his full-time factory job without missing a day of work for 10 years! Most people just need a slight sniffle or cough to call in sick! Wow!

These kinds of stories definitely warm the heart, and at the same time make us all wonder how people who live in one of the wealthiest continents on the planet can be so hard-working and yet still be in such dire need of help. These stories just serve to show that no matter what role governments and employers are supposed to play in helping people keep their heads above water, sometimes it really does take the community to step in and make things right.

It looks like Mr. Joyce will be back to loading and unloading mowing equipment from his own truck in no time thanks to Nikki, Robert and all of the generous people who were affected by Mr. Joyce’s story and moved to take action.