"He shared with me that his rent within a year has gone up nearly $400, and he just couldn't afford to continue paying without going back to work," said Callisburg High School Principal Jason Hooper.
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After seeing him at school again, three students started a GoFundMe to help raise funds for him.
"At first, the goal was $10,000, and we know that $10,000 isn't anything these days, but we're just hoping that whatever we can get might give him a little bit of cushion, a little bit more comfort," Callisburg senior Marti Yousko said.
"When I saw him in a hall, it broke my heart because nobody at 80 should be working. They should be living the rest of their life," Callisburg senior Greyson Thurman said.
The students increased their goal for Mr. James to $80,000.
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"It gives me faith in humanity because with all the evil things going on around the world, we need something like this to happen, and it really regained my faith," Thurman said.
The GoFundMe page has raised over $270,000 for Mr. James so far.