School Raising Money For Janitor Back To Work A Day After Fire Burned Home
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A far west suburban school district has turned to social media for a much loved custodian, who showed up at work as usual the day after a fire burned up everything in his home in Aurora.
Arnulfo Garcia said his wife told him to go to work at Kaneland School District 302 on Tuesday, because there was nothing to do at home, nothing to clean up, because flames and smoke destroyed everything they owned on Monday.
Kaneland information director Tim Wolf said he was extremely surprised to find Garcia back at work as usual, smiling as usual, like nothing had happened.
Supporters already collected more than $7,5000 of the $10,000 they're seeking to help Garcia start rebuilding through the crowdfunding website giveforward.com.
Meanwhile, Garcia has moved in with a family from church.
He said the real hero is his wife, Yabira, who ran to the basement apartment where her downstairs neighbor had fallen asleep cooking a chicken, starting the fire which cooked the rest of the apartment building.
Garcia said his wife escorted the neighbor upstairs, grabbed her own 5-year-old son, and fled her smoke- and flame-filled apartment.
Everyone in the building escaped safe and sound.