In a touching display of compassion and generosity from Phoenix, Arizona, a group of high school seniors rallied together to support their beloved teacher, Clayton Guy, during a challenging time.
Arizona students raise nearly $10K for heart surgery for teacher's wife: 'Made me cry' https://t.co/NHtAHbJgVN
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 28, 2023
Guy, a dedicated government and economics teacher at Arcadia High School since 2004, found himself facing an emotional journey as his wife, Angel Guy, required crucial open-heart surgery due to blockage.
The students, led by 18-year-old Parker Bond, who graduated from the school in 2023, noticed a change in Guy’s demeanor during the past spring. According to them, he wasn’t the same energetic and outgoing teacher they had known for the entire year.
“He was pretty quiet. We could tell that something was off,” Bond said, describing the beloved teacher’s state.
Sensing that something was off, the students soon learned about the health challenges Guy’s wife was facing.
The news deeply touched the students, and they wanted to make a difference. They researched the details of Angel’s surgery and discovered it would be costly, even with insurance. Understanding the stress their teacher was going through, they decided to take action.
Bond and a few other students approached Guy with a heartfelt plan to raise funds for Angel’s surgery. “I came in one morning and told him that we wanted to do that, and he was very grateful,” Bond recalled.
While Guy was hesitant to accept their help, he was moved by their genuine desire to support him and his wife. “My first reaction was, ‘No, don’t worry about it.’ And then I was talking to some other teachers and they’re like, ‘Well, if people want to help, there’s nothing wrong with that,’” Guy said.
The students set a goal of raising $10,000 to alleviate some of the financial burden. To achieve that, they launched a GoFundMe account, and the response from the community was heartwarming. Within the first day, they had already raised a couple of hundred dollars, and the contributions continued to pour in, according to Bond.
Guy was deeply moved by the outpouring of kindness from his students. “I was just honored,” he said, adding, “It kind of made me cry. People were so kind.”
“The students were very kindhearted, and they did it on their own. They did it without prompting from a teacher or anybody else,” he added.
Angel, whose recovery is going well, expressed her gratitude and joy for the students’ kindness.
This remarkable display of empathy and compassion showcases the caring nature of today’s youth. Despite their reputation for being glued to their phones, Mr. Guy emphasized that his students genuinely care about others, and their gesture proves that they are more than willing to extend a helping hand to those in need.
In a world where divisiveness often takes the spotlight, this heartwarming story serves as a reminder that kindness and empathy can bridge gaps and bring people closer together as a community. Despite the unimpressive behavior some teens exhibit in recent times, Guy is proud that his students “care about people.”
