Meet the Boy Who Mows Lawns to Give a Janitor the Retirement He Deserves

A noisy teenager caused trouble for the school janitor and later felt guilty. He learned about the janitor’s life and decided to do something special for him. That’s when he realized something important.

“Wow!” Holden exclaimed when he saw the mess he had created on the floor. He and his friend were just trying to play a prank on another student by painting his locker. However, he accidentally dropped the paint can in the middle of the basketball court, which would definitely be noticed.

“Come on, Holden! Let’s go! Let’s go!” his friend, Andrew, shouted, and they both left everything behind and ran away.

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A noisy teenager caused trouble for the school janitor and later felt guilty. He learned about the janitor’s life and decided to do something special for him. That’s when he realized something important.

Holden and his friend were not bad kids, but they often skipped classes and liked to play pranks on others. They didn’t mean any harm; Holden just didn’t like school and wanted to have fun like many teenagers do.

“Wow. That’s terrible,” Holden said when he saw the mess he made. “Sorry. That was rude.” Luckily, no one found out about the incident, but later, he walked by the basketball court and saw the old janitor cleaning up. He also heard the principal, Mr. Figgins, yelling.

“We have the pep rally tomorrow, and scouts from all over are coming! This needs to be cleaned up right away!” the principal shouted at the poor man, who was trying to scrub the floor. The paint was oil-based, making the job hard.

Yes, Mr. Figgins. I’ll make sure it’s ready for tomorrow,” the janitor replied, still scrubbing. The principal waved his arms, yelled some more, and stormed off.

Holden felt awful watching the janitor clean the mess caused by his prank, so he did something surprising. He walked onto the court, grabbed a rag, knelt down, and started helping the janitor.

The old man looked at him and said, “I guess you did this, right?” He continued to scrub the floor.

“Sir, I’m really sorry. It was a mistake. I didn’t know you would get in trouble for it,” Holden said sincerely. “Please don’t tell the principal. My mom would be really mad.”

The janitor sighed and replied, “I won’t tell anyone, but you have to help me until this floor is clean.” Holden quickly agreed.

As they worked, they talked. The janitor’s name was Fred. At first, they chatted about basketball and Football since the school had some of the best teams. But then Holden asked why Fred was still working at his age. He looked to be over 60.

“Well, I need to pay my mortgage,” Fred said with a frown. “I’m 76.”

“Wow, you still haven’t paid it off? That means I can’t even think about having my own house,” Holden said.

“Things are tough right now, kid. I never really wanted a house. I bought that house for my daughter because she needed a place to live,” Fred explained, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I helped her with the mortgage for years, but then she died in a car accident, and now it’s all my responsibility.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that,” Holden said quietly. They were silent for a moment. “Why not sell the house now?”

“Where would I go? With rent these days, I’d be homeless. I need to keep working to eat,” Fred said realistically.

“But you might never retire!” Holden added.

“That’s true. I just hope I can pay the mortgage before I die,” he continued.

“How much do you owe?” Holden asked.

“Well, it’s a little under $30,000,” Fred replied.

“Wow. That’s terrible,” Holden said, then widened his eyes. “Sorry, that was rude.”

But Fred laughed. “Let’s just keep working, kid.”

They finally cleaned up the paint, but it took a long time, and Holden went home late that night. He couldn’t sleep, thinking about how to help the old man who didn’t get him in trouble.

A few days later, he told his mother everything that happened and asked her how they could raise money for Fred. Maybe if they paid off his mortgage, he could retire.

His mother suggested that Holden mow lawns in the neighborhood. It was the right season, and many people needed help. So he got his dad’s lawnmower and started working hard.

But after a few days, he realized it was going to take a long time to earn the money. So he talked to his neighbors whose kids went to the same school. He took a picture of Fred from the school’s website and posted it online, sharing his story and creating a crowdfunding link to help the janitor.

To his surprise, the donations started coming in, and they raised $30,000 in just a week.

Then Holden and his mother spoke to the school principal about having a special ceremony to honor Fred and surprise him. Holden also had to tell the principal about the paint on the court, and Mr. Figgins agreed.

The whole school heard the story and gathered at the basketball court to cheer when Fred arrived. The old janitor had no idea what was happening since he didn’t use social media. Holden presented him with the money, and many people in the crowd cried as the two hugged. Fred officially retired that week.

Holden later learned that Fred had a granddaughter named Erin, who was only a few years younger than him. The janitor wanted to pay off the house for her to have when he was gone. Erin and Holden became good friends, and he started visiting Fred after school to help out.

He stopped hanging out with Andrew and began taking his classes more seriously. The whole experience taught him that you have to work hard for everything.

Holden changed completely and graduated at the top of his class a few years later. The school staff was shocked and happy with his turnaround, as they rarely saw such changes. And it was all because of Fred and that afternoon spent cleaning up paint.

What can we learn from this story?

You should apologize and do your best to fix your mistakes. Holden got the janitor in trouble but sincerely tried to make it right.

It only takes one experience or person to change someone’s life. After meeting Fred, Holden changed for good, learning that life is tough, and only hard work can lead to happiness.

Fox News Host Pete Hegseth Leads Prayer on Air

“This is the fifth Sunday of Lent, and we’re continuing our prayer series by reading prayers from the Hallow app,” Hegseth said. “Let’s do it this morning, close your eyes, and bow your head if you would. We all need it.”

Hegseth conducted the on-screen prayer, reading from the Hallow app, while his co-hosts Campos-Duffy and Will Cain bowed their heads reverently. “Jesus, today we begin the holy period of Passion tide,” he prayed. Please, throughout these final two weeks of Lent, enlighten us on the mystery of your submission and sacrifice and intensify our awareness of your love for us. We beg you to reveal yourself to us and enable us to experience the grace of your presence.

Hegseth thanked the Hallow app for collaborating with the show during Lent and closed the prayer by thanking Christ for his sacrificial love demonstrated on the cross. Campos-Duffy added a sincere “Amen” to the discussion.

This kind of public demonstration of religion is not unusual for Fox News anchors. During an earlier episode with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, host Kayleigh McEnany shared her conviction that God is guiding the path.

As our speaker, “to everyone out there, pray for him,” co-host Ainsley Earhardt said. “God’s guidance is desperately needed right now for our nation.”

Although everyone acknowledges the right to practice one’s religion, some people appeared to take offense at this on-air prayer. Many others, though, thought it was a good initiative. Viewers were prompted to discuss it; some expressed disbelief, while others were appreciative of the hosts’ openness to pause for prayer.

Do you believe that hosts should lead prayer while on air? Tell us in the comments section below. Spread the word about this to continue the discussion on this subject!