A railway worker in Oregon decided to perform a random act of kindness for a complete stranger recently, and it has since gone viral after the results were shared online.
Josh Cyganik waved to 75-year-old Leonard Bullock every day on his way to work, and while Bullock always waved back, the two never spoke. That is until Cyganik overheard some kids making fun of the state of disrepair that Bullock's house was in, and decided that he wanted to help them out.
Cyganik put a call out on his Facebook page for some help, and it didn't take long for it to get plenty of attention, with the post eventually getting over 6,000 shares. They organised a day, got some materials together, and went over to give the house a new lick of paint and some repairs.
Pic: Union Pacific
The whole process was covered by Cyganik's employers, Union Pacific, and by the end of the day, more than 100 people had showed up to either offer a hand or donate some money to the cause. "We received a lot of additional donations from people who didn't come but wanted to help", Cyganik said, adding "people were dropping off food and drinks all day long. Starbucks even donated six gallons of water and iced tea".
Pic: Union Pacific
The end result is a pretty dramatic change, but their work isn't finished yet, as they plan to use the money from the donations to build a new porch for Bullock his wife, as well as getting some repairs done to the roof of the house.
Pic: Union Pacific
While he noted that it was just a random act of kindness, Cyganik also said that for him it was about respect: "I was raised to respect the people who came before you, to help others out who don't have much. Leonard can now sit on his front porch for the rest of his years while feeling good about his home".
