A Detroit man who walked roughly 21 miles to work each day has gotten a new apartment, a new car and a team of advisers to manage the $351,000 he received in donations, according to the Detroit Free Press.
But James Robertson, 56, isn't quitting the job where he makes $10.55 per hour making plastic parts.
"I'm going to keep working — that's for sure," he remarked.
James Robertson, 56, of Detroit, walks to catch his morning bus as a part of his commute to work on Jan. 29, 2015. Hundreds of people have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to help Robertson, who says he typically walks 21 miles (34 kilometers) to get to and from work. Robertson began making the daily trek to the factory where he molds parts after his car stopped working ten years ago and bus service was cut back. He's had perfect attendance for more than 12 years. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza)
Robertson made headlines earlier this year for his remarkable work ethic. 19-year-old Evan Leedy was so inspired he set up a crowdfunding page to support Robertson, and $351,000 in donations flooded in. A local auto dealer also donated a metallic-red Taurus.
But it wasn't long before people started asking Robertson for money, and it eventually grew so bad that he had to file a personal protection order against his ex-girlfriend and landlady.
Detroit police got involved and helped Robertson move, the Detroit Free Press adds, since it was just weeks after an 86-year-old was found dead in a Detroit home after winning $20,000.
"I may have been born there, but God knows I don't belong there anymore," Robertson said, grateful for his new surroundings.
The Detroit Free Press continues:
Robertson keeps his abode spotless. He eagerly showed a visitor his spin mop with automatic wringer — "something I've always wanted" — that he keeps charged with cleaning solution. His life had been tightly constrained. Now, with a car and money, he has so many new choices. But there are new limits too.
[...]
Robertson has cut himself off from virtually everyone in his former life, except for the coworkers he continues to praise. "Now I don't have all the riffraff, the troublesome people, running around me," he said.
In this Jan. 28, 2015 photo, James Robertson, 56, poses for a photo outside of his home in Detroit. Hundreds of people have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to help Robertson, who says he typically walks 21 miles (34 kilometers) to get to and from work. Robertson began making the daily trek to the factory where he molds parts after his car stopped working ten years ago and bus service was cut back. He's had perfect attendance for more than 12 years. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza)
n this Tuesday March 3, 2015 photo, James Robertson cleans off his furniture before leaving his new apartment in Troy, Mich. Robertson, who said he walked 21 miles to and from work each day, is settling into the suburban Detroit apartment after receiving thousands of dollars in online donations. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza)
Financial experts say Robertson should be able to live off interest and earnings until he retires, at which point he can begin to dip into the $351,000.
And Robertson is quick to give back. The Detroit Free Press writes that he gave away more than a week's worth of take-home pay at a Salvation Army fundraiser, and said he would like the Salvation Army to receive his entire fortune if anything ever happens to him.
