Community Dads Raise Thousands to Surprise Beloved School Crossing Guard with a New Car
A group of North Texas dads raised money for a new car for a beloved school crossing guard, leaving her and the community in shock.
Ask anyone in the Moss Haven Elementary School community about Ms. Trecia Crawford and you’ll hear the same thing: she is so kind and protective of every child.
A staple of the community, who knows more parents on a first-name basis than most of the school employees, Ms. Crawford has been without wheels for the last 6 months after her car broke down and she lacked the money to repair or replace it.
Learning of her predicament, the Moss Haven Dad’s Club pooled their time and expertise to get the beloved Ms. Crawford back behind a wheel.
Marcus Waither is a member of the Dad’s Club who organizes the “Carpool Dads” volunteers, who drop children off to school every morning, saving parents gas and keeping kids safe. It was Waither’s idea to raise money to buy Ms. Crawford a new car.
The club raised an incredible $6,800 in just a few days, and from there, Waither tagged in local dad Adam Tharpe, general manager of Highland Lake Automotive. Tharpe found a white jeep that wouldn’t break his books to sell at an extreme discount. He took care of a few minor outstanding issues and even threw in some free oil change coupons.
Car in hand, Tharpe then passed the ball to Jeremy Graves, another dad from the club who took care of the liability insurance on the car on behalf of Ms. Crawford.
After that, the Jeep and the dads were ready, and on a morning in early March, surprised Ms. Crawford while she was on duty. “Community isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the action, time, and commitment of the parents, teachers, staff, and all those who show up in the smallest and biggest ways.”