Vienna, Virginia — It began as a friendship outside the weight room at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia, between a group of fellow football players and school custodian Francis Apraku.
“If we had a bad day, he’d be the first guy to say, ‘Hey, are you okay?'” said student Bennett Hibshman. “And we say, hey, let’s do something nice for him. Nobody else is going to do it.”
One day the group asked Apraku, if he could have a splurge, what would it be?
“My heart’s desire is a Jeep Wrangler,” Apraku told CBS News. — That is why I have tried to work hard.
Owning a Wrangler was a dream for Apraku, who regularly sends money to his relatives in Ghana. So, the students started a fundraising campaign that brought in about $22,000 in four months. With the money, they bought a 2015 Jeep Wrangler and surprised him with it earlier this month.
When Apraku saw the Wrangler in the school parking lot, he said the gesture brought him to his knees.
“My leg started shaking,” Apraku said. “I can’t stand, I can’t stand. I panicked! and I had to get down on the floor and I cried.”
He was so surprised to see his new set of wheels that he actually started rolling on the ground.
“It kind of got to the point where it was like, is he okay? Making sure he’s okay, and we helped him up,” student Logan Georgelas said.
The students said that when they finally got him to the car, he was in disbelief.
“I will never, ever forget today,” Apraku said. Not because of the car, but because of the children.
“I can’t believe this in America, only in America,” he added.
Jeep was also touched by the story and told CBS News that it will provide Apraku with a package that will cover his oil changes and tire rotations for the next six years at his local dealership.
contributed to this report.
