Vienna, Virginia — It started as a friendship outside the weight room of James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia, between a group of sophomore football players and the school custodian, Francis Apraku.
“If we had a bad day, he’d be the first guy to be like, ‘Hey, are you OK?'” student Bennett Hibshman said “And we’re like, hey, let’s do something nice for him. No one else is going to.”
One day, the group asked Apraku, if he could have one splurge, what would it be?
“My heart’s desire is a Jeep Wrangler,” Apraku told CBS News. “That’s why I’ve tried to work hard.”
Owning a Wrangler was a pipe 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 purchased 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 was panicking! and I had to get myself on the floor and I was crying.”
He was so surprised to see his new set of wheels, he started actually rolling on the ground.
“It got a little to the point where it was like, is he OK? Making sure he’s OK, 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 kids.
“I can’t believe this in America, only in America,” he added.
Jeep was also moved by the story and told CBS News it will be gifting Apraku a package that will cover his oil changes and tire rotations for the next six years at his local dealership.
contributed to this report.
