Viral TikTok Raises Over S$144K, Elderly Cashier In US Retires
In Singapore, where the cost of living is high and the minimum retirement age is 63, it’s fairly common to see the elderly at work.
So much so that we do not bat an eyelid when an ah ma serves us at McDonald’s.
That apparently happens in other countries too, but one man named Rory McCarty took matters into his own hands to help an elderly worker in the United States (US) retire.
Elderly cashier spotted working at Walmart
According to a video by NowThis, Mr McCarty first saw Butch Marion working at a till in a Walmart in Cumberland, Maryland.
Source: NowThis on Facebook
A clip in the video shows the elderly cashier hard at work as he hunches over a customer’s items.
Something about the sight pulled at his heartstrings and soon after, Mr McCarty organised a GoFundMe campaign.
He had been inspired by another TikTok video that managed to raise a large sum of money for an elderly woman in Arizona.
Money was raised within 2 days
Mr McCarty posted the original TikTok video of Mr Marion in December 2022. It has garnered over three million views at the time of writing.
@bug_boys 82yr old Butch still putting in work. Has anybody seen the videos where a guy raised 180g’s to help an 82 yr old walmart employee retire. We ought to do that for Butch. Who would donate? #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #walmart #gofundme
Shortly after, he launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the elderly cashier.
In Jan 2023, Mr Marion received a cheque amounting to over S$144,000 (US$108,682.85) with a note that read, “Happy Retirement!”
Source: NowThis on Facebook
On the cheque, it states that the donations came from all around the world.
Elderly cashier retires a few weeks after TikTok goes viral
Speaking to NowThis, Mr Marion said that the recent events have been miraculous.
As of 4 Jan 2023, he no longer works at Walmart and has his retirement plans sorted.
Apart from fishing, he also plans to visit his daughters and grandchildren who are in Florida.
He also spends time at Mr McCarty’s farm out in the country and the two have become “best friends”.
Source: NowThis on Facebook
Kudos to Mr McCarty & the online community
Hats off to Mr McCarty – as well as the generous donors – for helping and befriending a senior citizen in need.
Regardless of where we are in the world, we could all learn a thing or two from people like him.
We hope Mr Marion enjoys his well-deserved retirement to the fullest.
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Featured image adapted from NowThis on Facebook.
