The newly-acquired wealth of James Robertson, the 56-year-old Detroit factory worker who walks roughly 33 kilometres to work each day, will be managed in part by a group of financial advisors.
CBC News Windsor reports that the GoFundMe page created to ease Robertson’s daily commute blew past its original goal of raising $25,000 U.S. Thanks to the kindness of numerous strangers, Robertson now has $280,000 U.S. to his name and is well on his way to getting to work any way he likes.
Robertson’s story represents the quiet and dignified struggle of too many in his situation. For the past 10 years, Robertson walked roughly 13 kilometres to work in the morning and 21 kilometres home in the evening. Because he lives outside of public transportation routes, his pedestrian commute was a necessary evil of making it to his 2 p.m. shift. After eight hours of work at his $10.55 an hour job, his daily trek totaled roughly eight hours.
Some days, Robertson would hop a ride with Blake Pollock, a banker who passed Robertson while on his way to work. It was Pollock who first relayed Robertson’s story to the Detroit Free Press, which caught the eye of 19-year-old Evan Leedy who decided to create a GoFundMe online fundraising campaign in Robertson’s name.
Leedy, a student at Wayne State University, originally established the $25,000 U.S. goal to ensure Robertson had enough money for a car and insurance. As of Wednesday, Robertson’s cause garnered $280,000 in donations and Robertson has asked Pollock to organize a team of financial advisors to assist him in managing the windfall.
We applaud the efforts of all involved in helping James Robertson. As active members of several charitable causes in the Windsor community, Greg Monforton & Partners always encourages those who can give any measure of their time or energy to do so when they are moved by someones situation.
We are excited to see what the future will hold for James Robertson and his family. The Windsor injury lawyers and support staff from our firm send our best wishes to everyone involved in his GoFundMe campaign!