A customer at a department store in southern Florida was stunned to see a 92-year-old woman still working—and decided to do something about it.
“I noticed this lady working in the dressing room,” April Steele told CBS affiliate WSVN after spotting Muriel Connick helping shoppers at a Burlington in Pompano Beach a few weeks ago.
“My heart sank,” Steele added. “I thought, ‘Why is a 92-year-old woman working?’ It just seemed unbelievable to me.”
Connick receives Social Security benefits, but they don’t fully cover her monthly costs. She also needs repairs to the floors in her mobile home to reduce the risk of falling, according to WSVN.
“It’s the rent and it’s the car payment and the car insurance and the telephone, electricity and cable,” Connick told WSVN.
After hearing more about Connick’s situation, Steele started a GoFundMe. The fundraiser surpassed $104,000 as of Thursday, Jan. 29, after the story gained national attention. Steele said the goal is to help Connick finally retire.
“Can you imagine at that age being on your feet all day long?” Steele wrote. “I’m 30 years younger and would be tired — never mind the aches and pains of her small frame.”
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When Connick learned that strangers had already donated thousands of dollars to help her, she was overwhelmed, WSVN reported.
“I was really surprised, and I didn’t know she was going to do all this,” Connick told the outlet. “I thought she was just going to give me a card and say, ‘This is to help you.’ ”
A coworker also shared praise for Connick on the donation page, saying she consistently showed up and worked harder than many others.
Connick typically works weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., splitting her time between the fitting room and assisting on the sales floor, according to the GoFundMe.
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With the fundraiser’s success, Connick is expected to retire next week. Steele said the support will also help get Connick’s car fixed, and local companies have offered to complete “much-needed repairs” to her home.
“She can’t believe the generosity of strangers who have come forward with both donations and offers to repair her home,” Steele wrote in an email to WSVN. “It has been completely life-changing.”
As Connick told WCVN: “I really thank them very much.”
