Why This Man Fixes Houses For Free

 

Video Transcript:

Today, I want to tell you the story of John.

"Hi. I'm John. I'm an electrician and I fixed an old lady's entire home for free."

John is not an ordinary electrician. He is an electrician with the biggest heart I've ever seen and here is why.

"I can't even comprehend the gratitude that I have"

One day, John received a call from an old lady. She wanted him to fix one simple light in her house but when he got there, he realized it wasn't just one light that needed to be fixed. It was everything - the water wasn't working, half the lights were out, the garden was like a jungle, the roof was leaking, the floor had holes, animals were getting in, and even her ceiling looked like it was about to collapse.

The lady didn't have any family members and she was so old. She didn't realize how bad her house had become.

"When I first got to Gloria's house, I was just shocked at the condition of the house. I couldn't just let her live like that."

That is where John came in. When he got called to fix one light, he could just have done his job and not think anymore about it but he didn't. He gathered a bunch of his friends. Together, they cleaned up the lady's home at no charge but soon he realized it wasn't enough because there was just so much to do. John and his friends could not do it alone.

"The more we worked, the more we realized that more had to be done. We needed to buy materials, paint, electrical supplies, roofing material, lumber, the list just went on and on."

So, he went to the internet asking for help. So, he put up a Facebook page, called it "Nice Old Lady Needs Help" and pretty much immediately, the internet went crazy. Suddenly, people from all over the U.S. and the world wanted to help a single old lady in Minnesota. 

Just like that, John raised a total of a hundred and fifteen thousand dollars in less than a month and with that money he and his friends did wonders. They replaced everything: the lights, the windows, even the backyard and the porch steps. This broken house became a welcoming home for the old lady to spend her retirement years.

"The response we got was just crazy. Channel 7 picked it up and then other newscasters started broadcasting the story and contractors from all over were calling and asking what they could do to help. I wasn't looking to rebuild her whole house at first but now it looks like we did."

As more people knew about what John did, more people in need started to ask for help. So, he decided to turn a one-man operation into a national campaign to help old people. He gathered construction workers and volunteers from all over the country, called the group "Gloria's Gladiators"- after the old lady's name and all people who didn't have any resources could reach out for help.

"I can't even comprehend the gratitude that I have."

And, that's how he started a ripple effect. The job to fix one light became an online campaign to help old people all over the country.

"This just goes to show that everybody else would have done the exact same thing as I did."

You know, sometimes, all it takes is just to get the ball rolling. People like John teach us that sometimes changing the world begins with just a small act of kindness.