College Security Guard Hasnt Been Home in More Than a Decade - So Students Took Care of It

James Mogaji is a familiar face on the fourth floor of the Raymond Hall dormitory at Providence College.

As a security guard, he spends four overnight shifts a week watching out for the students.

But now? The students are looking out for him.

After learning that it's been 11 long years since he's seen his family, including his son, the college students banded together to make it happen. Because everyone deserves the chance to go home again.

Students Rally for “One of Their Own”

Freshman Brandon Reichert is the brainchild behind operation "Send James Home." In the golden age of GoFundMe campaigns, he decided to leverage the platform to help one of his own.

When he shared his idea with his classmates and friends, they immediately jumped on board.

"For those of you that don't know James, he truly is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He greets everybody with a smile and always welcomes conversations no matter what time of the night you run into him," Brandon wrote on the page.

"He does not know how much we appreciate him, and hope that this shows to him how much he means to our community," he added. 

The fundraiser took off. In less than 24 hours it reached its goal of $3500. To say it's blown past its initial goal is an understatement. It currently sits at a whopping $26,000 (and climbing).

Over the past weekend, the students got the chance to surprise James with the incredible news that he is finally going home.

And all I want to know is, who's cutting the onions?

Emotional TikTok Goes Viral

Leah Quinn, a friend of Brandon's mother, captured the heartwarming moment on video and uploaded it to her TikTok account @lkquinnco.

"Please stop and take the time to watch and share this amazing display of unrelenting kindness and humanity at its best," she wrote in the post. More than 750,000 people listened.

Surrounded by students, resident assistant, Daniel Singh delivered the news to an unsuspecting James.

"You told us a while ago that you wanted to see your family in Nigeria that you haven’t seen in a long time, so we came together and spread the word, and we started a GoFundMe because we take care of our own because that’s what we do at Providence College," he told James, fighting back tears.

"They've done that for me, we've done that for each other, so now we're doing it for you. You're part of the family, so our gift to you is a trip to Nigeria."

Daniel Singh via TikTok

Shocked and overcome with emotion, James covered his face with his hands and fell to his knees.

Clearly, the students didn't just gift him a trip, they gave him the world.

“I don’t know how much I can thank you guys, man. I don’t know how much I can thank you,” he cried.

He's going to start by taking the trip, which is already booked for June.

As for the rest of the money raised? The students don't want James to have to wait another 11 years. They plan on using it for many more trips in the future.

The Kids Are All Right

James is there for these kids, at a time when they need him most. A time when they've left everything they know behind - their childhoods, their families, their homes.

And his presence hasn't gone unnoticed.

It's obvious that James has made a difference in these students' lives. So much so, that they were willing to do whatever they could to make a difference in his.

The fact that these kids came together in an incredible outpouring of community and compassion is inspiring. And despite what critics of the next generation may be saying, it's proof that kids these days? Are all right.

More from Goalcast:

• Policeman Shows Up at School and Grills Confused Teen – Then Someone Grabs Him From Behind

• Woman Goes With High School Sweetheart on a Date – Finds Out He’d Been Working on a Secret for Months

• Retired Man Learns About Hungry Kids in a Report – Immediately Goes to School and Asks for the Principal