Georgia Teachers Buy Car for Custodian Who Walked to Work
Alexandra Maloney
· 4 min read
A
Georgia
custodian’s reaction to being surprised with a car from his co-workers is the kind of news we all need to remind us the world isn’t always so bad. Amidst all of the uncertainty and heartache the pandemic has brought in the past year, there’s still some good happening out there every day. Two Georgia teachers have shown us the ultimate example of that good, by raising money to
buy
their school’s custodian a car, so he wouldn’t have to walk to work every day. 
Georgia teachers pay for custodian’s car
Chris Jackson is a custodian at Unity Grove Elementary School in Locust Grove, Georgia. Up until very recently, Jackson had been walking to work every day, in all kinds of weather conditions. Two employees in the building—a first grade teacher named Megan MacDonald and a special education teacher named Jodi Combs—noticed Jackson walking every day, and wanted to do something to help their co-worker.
The two teachers began raising money to help Jackson with general living expenses, after they found out he’d fallen on hard times. When they realized he was walking to work, they ramped up their fundraising efforts and reached out to the Unity Grove Staff via a private Facebook group. The teachers were able to raise the money needed to buy a used car from Combs’ friend in a single day.
Combs drove the Chevy Impala to school, then at lunchtime asked Jackson to come outside to help her with something. It was then that she presented him with his new car, along with the car title, tag and some of the necessary insurance. Jackson was absolutely blown away and said the vehicle was his, "dream car."
School principal, Anne Wilson, told
Fox News
, "that the generosity is not unusual for our school. Any time we know of a need, people just come flooding to help." Wilson also shared the culture of volunteering and helping others has been part of Unity Grove for all 20 years she’s been there.The generosity didn’t stop there
Jackson’s animated, shocked reaction to being gifted a car from his co-workers went completely viral on social media. In the two-minute reaction video, Jackson can be seen stunned at the realization the car is his own.
He repeats "thank you" over and over, and adds in "Oh my stars, there is a God." He also tells the teachers and staff in the clip, "I never would’ve dreamed of something like this. This is mind-blowing to me."
The video has since been shared widely on Facebook. Since it was posted in August, the clip has received 2.2 million views, 74,000 reactions, and 3,800 comments.
Even though the clip reached far and wide, another member right at home in the Unity Grove community made another huge difference in Jackson’s life. After viewing the clip, an anonymous community member paid for Jackson’s
car insurance
for an entire year. Save on car insurance in Georgia and beyond
For a paid-in-full, owned car, like Jackson now has, the insurance requirement is the state mandated level of liability coverage.
If you don’t own your car, insurance requirements might be a bit different. For financed vehicles, you’ll be required to have your state liability insurance if required in your area, as well as
comprehensive
and collision coverage. For leased vehicles, you’ll most likely need comprehensive, liability, and collision coverage, and your deductibles may be capped.No matter if you own your car outright, like this Georgia custodian now does, or you’re leasing or financing a vehicle,
Jerry
can help you save on every type of insurance you may need. 
