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Volunteers repaint elderly man's home following teens' hurtful remarks
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A good Samaritan in Pendleton, Oregon, is making headlines after he rallied a group of volunteers to paint an elderly man's home.
According to KSTU, Josh Cyganik got the idea for his act of kindness after he overheard two teenagers making fun of the house of 75-year-old Leonard Bullock, saying, "They just need to burn it down."
"I saw the look on Leonard’s face," Cyganik, a track inspector for Union Pacific Railroad, said in an article posted on UPRR's website. "I could tell the comment bothered him. I don't think any elderly person should have to endure what I heard from those two kids’ mouths. I kind of stewed about it for a couple days before I decided to do something."
Cyganik, who works across the street from the home, didn't personally know Bullock at the time, even though the two did wave to each other every day. But that didn't stop Cyganik from rallying volunteers and donations on Facebook.
To my friends! So I was at work a couple weeks ago and I heard 2 teenage boys walked by this old man's house. He sits on...
Posted by Josh Cyganik on Wednesday, July 15, 2015
"I'm asking if anyone that wants to help this Saturday to volunteer their time to help paint this gentleman's house," Cyganik wrote July 15.
That weekend, more than 100 volunteers showed up, and Tum-a-Lum Lumber donated supplies for the home makeover.
"Everybody was happy and excited," Cyganik told UPRR. "We received a lot of additional donations from people who didn't come but wanted to help. People were dropping off food and drinks all day long. Starbucks even donated 6 gallons of water and iced tea."
Posted by Josh Cyganik on Saturday, July 18, 2015
But volunteers weren't finished after they repainted the house. Tum-a-Lum Lumber reportedly is rebuilding Bullock's porch, and others bought him outdoor furniture.
