James Mogaji is more than a security guard at the University of Providence, in the state of Rhode Island, USA. He is, students report, a welcoming smile and an open door for a chat, during the four night shifts he works a week. Therefore, the young people tried to find a way to repay him: they raised funds so that Mogaji, a Nigerian who has lived in the USA for 11 years, travels to his homeland and visits his family.
The surprise, carried out on March 7th, left the security guard in tears, with the North American media and the Internet melting down at the young people’s initiative. “Tonight, we were able to offer James enough money to travel to Nigeria and visit his family in June,” wrote freshman finance major Brandon Reichert on the fundraising platform GoFundMe.
In a post on TikTok, second-year Psychology and Marketing student Daniel Singh, Reichert and other fellow students can be seen making the offer to James Mogaji. “A while ago, you told us that you wanted to go to Nigeria to see your family, who you haven’t seen in a long time, so we got together and spread the word, and we created a GoFundMe because we take care of our own, because that’s what we do at University of Providence,” says Singh, a young man from the Bronx, New York, who arrived at the university on a merit scholarship. “Since I’ve been here, they’ve done it for me, we’ve done it for each other, so now we’re doing it for you. You are part of the family, so our gift to you is a trip to Nigeria.”
@lkquinnco ??please stop and take the time to watch and share this amazing display of unrelenting kindness and humanity at its best.?? now time for MY BRAGGING- My best friend Jess Reichert son Brandon is the most incredibly kind, thoughtful and generous soul. (Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree) I am once again blown away by Brandon’s God Given gift of always doing the right thing and recognizing what is truly important in this world- LOVE and KINDNESS. Brandon started a Gofundme for his overnight security guard James at his dorm building at Providence College. James has been wanting to visit his family in Nigeria for a long time, and Brandon along with all of the amazing students on his floor at PC began to raise money for James to get him home. Today they presented him with the trip. This act of kindness shows us all, that we are more alike than not. Brandon’s ability to always do the right thing and lead, show compassion and gratitude has been a highlight of my life watching him grow up into the amazing young man he is. On that note, I want to give Jess Reichert all the respect in the world for raising this boy as a SINGLE MOTHER and shaping him to be everything he is. For the countless sacrifices she has and continues to make and the obstacles she endures to make sure he has every opportunity to continue on his path we could all learn from as parents. This is also your payoff Jessie, everything that boy is, is ALL because of you! I’m so proud to be your friend! I love you both so much!!! Let’s keep this going with a share! @wcvb5 @wpri12 @therhodeshow @abc6providence @channelkindness @thekindnessrocksproject belikeBrandon providenceCollege gofundme goviral pcfriars kindnessmatters ? original sound – Leah Quinn
The announcement left the security guard, who fell to his knees on the floor, crying, in a state of shock. “This was unexpected,” James Mogaji tells students in the video. “I don’t know how I can thank you. I pray from the bottom of my heart that God will continue to protect you and ensure that you achieve your goals.”
Fundraising on the GoFundMe platform was https://twitter.com/B_Reichert19/status/1763626309282832630 by Brandon Reichert. The goal was to raise enough money so that James could travel to Nigeria and see his family, from which he has been away for 11 years, explaining how special the security guard at his university is. “For those who don’t know James, he is truly one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He greets everyone with a smile and always likes to chat, no matter what time of night we meet him.”
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And the Internet responded: in just 24 hours, the students raised three thousand dollars (the value of a round trip from Providence to Lagos) and, in the end, they raised 30,360 dollars (28,082 euros). Meanwhile, Reichert informed that all donations received “will be given to James at the end of the academic year, in May, to finance another trip”.
Tags: USA Students arrange trip Nigeria security hasnt family years Solidarity
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