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Jose Villaruel ("Mr. V"), a remarkable teacher rescued by one of his students.
77-year-old Mr. V. had been a popular substitute teacher in the Fontana Unified School District, near San Bernardino, California.
But because of COVID, his services were no longer needed.
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Eventually, his savings ran out. He was homeless, living in his old car.
"During the last few weeks, I noticed an older man sitting in a vehicle in a parking lot near my house," Steven Nava told NBC News Los Angeles.
Jose Villaruel and Steven Nava photo: today.com
Each day Steven saw this man alone in the parking lot, and soon recognized him as one of his former high school teachers.
"I noticed that he had all of his belongings in his car, and that's when I realized he was homeless," Steven added. He gave Mr. V. $300 and got him a hotel room.
But Steven didn't stop there.
He notified other former students, and set up a GoFundMe page as the Fontana Mayor and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department also got involved.
As a result, this GoFundMe raised over $27,000 to help Mr. V.
And the Sheriff's Department gave Mr. V. a one-month motel voucher, while arranging longer-term housing.
It turned out that Mr. V. had been living in his car long before COVID so that he would have more money to send to his ill wife in Mexico.
But without work, he had only his Social Security check, most of which he sent to her.
Now, with in-school classes starting Mr. V. may soon be teaching again. Holding back tears, he told NBC News Los Angeles, "I had no idea I had made such an impact on my students."
Editor's Note: To learn more, click here, here and here. To visit his GoFundMe page, click here.
In the next KazanToday: A compassionate mail carrier who saved the life of her 89-year-old customer.
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