As Evan Leedy read the Detroit Free Press’ story of James Robertson on Super Bowl Sunday morning, he couldn’t help but feel inspired.
The 19-year-old Wayne State College of Engineering computer science major was struck by the article – the tale of Detroit resident Robertson’s daily commute catching buses and walking about 21 miles a day to and from work in Rochester Hills. Robertson has made this Monday-through-Friday trek for the last decade, ever since his 1988 Honda Accord stopped running.
“I thought to myself: I complain about traffic so much and how it takes me an hour to get home,” said Leedy, who lives in Macomb Township, works in Troy and commutes to Wayne State’s main campus. “But James walks eight hours a day just to get back and forth to his job. It was an inspiring story to see that even though his car broke down, he wasn’t willing to quit his job.”
Leedy also was struck by the multitude of people commenting on the Freep’s online story, many of them asking how they could help Robertson. With that push, Leedy decided to do something. Five minutes after reading the commenters’ calls to action, he created a GoFundMe page. The title was a simple request: Help James Robertson Get a Car.
“Without technology, none of this would have been possible,” Leedy said. “This is all because of cell phones, crowdfunding websites and social media. I think being young, a lot of younger people and fellow students think they can’t make a difference until they get out of college. But I did this all from my phone. You can make a difference.”
Leedy’s original goal was $5,000. Within an hour, donations totaled $2,000. As interest kept growing, Leedy kept bumping up the amount. It quickly went from $10,000 to $25,000 and beyond. As of Feb. 5, the page as a total of more than $298,000 raised.
The buzz created from Leedy’s simple yet powerful act of thoughtfulness generated a media whirlwind. Interviews with the pair have been conducted for CNN, ABC News, CBS This Morning, NBC’s Today Show, The New York Times, Reuters, Huffington Post, MSNBC, USA Today, The Washington Post, People and countless others. There are even talks with the Ellen DeGeneres Show – the one Robertson is most excited for, Leedy joked.
Robertson and Leedy met for the first time on Feb. 2 – one day after the Freep story broke and the GoFundMe page was started – at Mr. B’s Pub in Rochester Hills while doing interviews for CBS and NBC.
“It was amazing to meet him,” Leedy said. “James is kind of a shy person. He doesn’t like accepting help. This is why he’s been walking back and forth to work for 10 years. It’s what he does. It’s his routine and he doesn’t think anything of it.”
The story even went worldwide. Robertson and Leedy also have done interviews with radio and television stations from as far as Russia and Australia. For Robertson, he most likely won’t even have to touch any of that cash to purchase a car. When asked by media outlets what his vehicle of choice would be, Robertson said he's always loved the Ford Taurus. Suburban Ford has since stepped up to donate a 2014 Ford Taurus. Leedy said they are working out the final details and hope to reveal the car to Robertson on Feb. 6, just in time for him to drive it to work.
Robertson won’t be the only one honored on Friday. Leedy will be presented with a Presidential Service Award during the WSU Board of Governors meeting.