Students raise $260,000 for school security guard’s retirement
Security guard Kifleab “Kief” Tekle has received a heart-warming gesture from former students and parents at the The Hockaday School in Dallas, United States.
Tekle, who retired after working as a security guard for 30 years at the school, received a cheque for US$183,179 (NZD$265,015) to go towards his retirement.
Regarded as the “Hagrid of their Hogwarts”, generations of students loved Tekle’s sense of humour, jokey nature and positivity. After learning of his retirement, former students decided to raise money as a gift for the beloved security guard.
“If you’ve ever been to Hockaday, you’ve seen Kief,” Amy Patrick, an alumna who began at the school in 1986, said on the GoFundMe page. “He’s the one who knows your name, even after 15 years away from campus. He’s the one who kept tabs on you and made sure you were safe.”
The initial goal of raising $2000 was quickly eclipsed as students and former students took to the fundraising page to express their gratitude to Tekle.
“Thank you so much Kief for always being a bright face in the morning when I arrived, and a positive one when I left,” alumna Bobbie Villareal wrote.
As for the Tekle, he is overwhelmed and extremely grateful for the gift.
“It means stability for my family,” Tekle said in a statement sent to The Dallas Morning News. “The school is my life.”
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