Shoeshiner donates $202,000 in tips to sick children
For more than three decades, Albert Lexie shined shoes at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Children's Hospital, and every single tip that he received went straight to the kids.
Lexie charged $2 to $5 for a shoeshine, earning about $10,000 annually, and while he could have used those tips, he instead donated them to the hospital. By the time he retired in December 2013, he had given the hospital $202,000, with the money going to the Free Care Fund, which covers medical treatment for kids in the Pittsburgh area who either don't have insurance or are under-insured.
During his time at the hospital, Lexie worked Tuesdays and Thursdays, traveling 90 minutes on three buses to get to there. He died on Oct. 16 at age 76, but because of his selflessness, he won't soon be forgotten. "His kindness and generosity were and continue to be an inspiration for all of us," Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh President Christopher Gessner said in a statement. Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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