SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Every day, Alex Rust bikes four miles to work, and four miles home. But when his bike was out of commission again, his coworkers decided it was time to take action.
“All of us here, we’re already a family. But especially with Alex, it’s much more than just a family. And so, all of us were willing to pitch in and help out. And so, I think in the span of like 12 hours, we had raised the funds for the bike,” said Josiah’s marketing manager Marissa Schroeder.
They surprised him with the bike at work and his reaction was nothing short of heartwarming.
“I was kind of emotional, I was happy. I was glad,” Alex Rust said.
His new bike has added features that his old one didn’t have.
“It’s an electric bike. My other one, I had to pedal all the time. It’s nice because I live like 4.2 miles away from my house, from my work, so that kind of saved me time,” Rust said.
Rust has worked at Josiah’s for six years as a dishwasher and his hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.
“He’s one of those guys that even if he’s in pain and, you know, his back’s hurting him, his knee’s hurting him, he’s going to bust his butt. He’s going to work as hard as he can to make sure that the rest of the guys in the kitchen, especially, will have an easier day,” said Schroeder.
Not only did his friends and coworkers collect enough money for the bike, but they exceeded their goal. With the extra money, they set up a savings account for him.
