Students Change The Life of A Teacher Who Commutes 4 Hours Daily By Giving Him A Car

• A well-liked teacher named Julio Castro lives two hours away from his school, making the commute 4 hours back and forth, taking precious time away from his family.
• A student saw him browsing for used cars costing less than $1,500.
• The student and his friends raised funds through a raffle, selling donated food and setting up a donation site in order to gift him with a car.

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Julio Castro is a math teacher at the YULA Boys High School in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles.  He lives in the Santa Clarita Valley in California, two hours away from the school.  Every day, he commutes by scooter or bus for 4 hours, back and forth.

What could be time spent with his three children and girlfriend, is used up on the commute.

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The students at YULA like him for his dynamism and the willingness to assist them.

Senior Joshua Gerendash said, “He made sure I understood all of the material by sitting down with me during his lunch breaks and sacrificing his time after school where he could be getting to the bus stop going back home.”

It was Josh who saw the teacher looking at cars on sale online that would cost less than $1,500. Josh thought that it would be a good opportunity to help Mr. Castro.  And so, the following summer, together with his fellow students Ben Ziv, Josh Pachter, Shimmy Jotkowitz, Charlie Leeds, and David Gerendesh helped raise funds for Mr. Castro’s car.

They organized raffles and sold donated food at a movie night and a basketball tournament. They partnered with nonprofit The Change Reaction for a donation platform that raised $13,000. Even the local auto dealer Galpin Motors offered a used car at a $5,000 discount.

And in a few months, the group managed to raise $30,000!

With the funds, they purchased a pre-owned Mazda 3 hatchback, auto insurance for a year and multiple gas cards.

Thus, on one Thursday, Mr. Castro was in for a surprise! They showed video testimonials about his dedication as a teacher and then gave him the keys to his car!

Mr. Castro said, “I feel surprised. I feel special. So thank you to my students. They are like my kids as well.”

Now, he would be able to join his family for dinner and would not have to wake up that early to get to school. You deserve the gift, Mr. Castro!

Source: Inspire More