When Kimberly Bermudez got off her Southwest Airlines flight to Jacksonville, she was $530 richer, but the money isn't for her — it's for the first-graders she teaches at a low-income elementary school in Chicago.
While chatting with the passenger next to her last week, Bermudez shared the challenges of being a teacher at a school where some kids come to school hungry and others are homeless, but also the joy they bring her. She told him she often uses her own money to buy kids clothes and hygiene products, and her fellow passenger said his company donates to schools like hers.
Bermudez said her school would welcome any and all donations, and soon felt a tap on her shoulder. The man sitting behind her said he'd been listening to their conversation, and he wanted to help. He handed Bermudez a stack of cash and told her, "Do something amazing." Not long after, the man across the aisle said he didn't have much cash on him, but wanted to give her something, and slipped Bermudez $20. Before the plane landed, the man in front of Bermudez also joined in, giving her $10.
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Bermudez told The Washington Post she started to cry, and explained she wasn't trying to fundraise. One of the men told her "that's why we're giving it to you. Use your voice. Use your gift of talking." Bermudez received $530, and said she plans on using the money to buy books, backpacks, and school supplies for her kids.
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