CV NEWS FEED // Students at Providence College, a Catholic university in Rhode Island, surprised a member of their campus “family” with the gift of a trip that they wish he would have been able to take a lot sooner: a visit home.
Students who reside in the college’s Raymond Hall created a GoFundMe for James Mogaji, who works as an overnight security guard for their building, so that he could go see his family in Nigeria for the first time in more than a decade, the college’s news article about the effort said.
Resident assistant Daniel Singh helped the students set up the fundraiser for the man, who started working at the college earlier in the school year, according to an article that WLNE-TV published.
Singh and other students presented the donation to Mogaji in an event captured in a TikTok video.
“We take care of our own. That’s what you do at PC. As long as I’ve been here, they’ve done that for me, done that for each other. So now we’re doing that for you, part of the family,” Singh said.
Students shouted together, “We love you, James!”
Mogaji said the gift was “unbelievable” and unexpected. He said that he prays that God will continue to protect and bless the students and make sure they achieve their goals.
“I hope and I pray that God will continue to bless you, bless your parents, be with you guys, guide you to the end, because we started together, and I want to make sure we finish together, by God’s grace,” he said.
Raymond Hall is a residential building for male, first-year students, the college’s website said.
With more than 800 donations, the fundraiser has raised $27,922 as of 11:46 p.m. ET March 13, far surpassing the goal of $3,500. According to a March 6 update on the fundraiser webpage, all further donations will be given to Mogaji at the close of the school year.
Mogaji will make the trip in June, the students said in the WLNE article.
“I’m honored to represent Raymond Hall and Providence College. We are a community eternally blessed by God who gave us the ability to succeed in helping James return home,” said student Brandon Reichert in a comment on Providence College’s LinkedIn post showcasing media coverage of the gesture that Reichert, Singh and other students made.
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