By Regina Waldroup, nbcchicago.com
A legally blind couple robbed at gunpoint and left with no way to pay their bills or buy groceries was stunned by the generosity of strangers who raised funds to help them after the frightening ordeal.
Through a GoFundMe page, supporters managed to raise more than $12,000, double the goal of $1,600 set by the couple’s landlord, who made the fundraising page after the robbery.
“Initially we were thinking with a close circle of friends, but the story got picked up and the rest is history,” said landlord Radu Cuchelan. “It gives you back faith in humanity.”
Once a month, Joyce and Roger Alexander walk from their apartment on Chicago’s South Side to their local bank to cash their social security check and pay bills—but last week, they were robbed of their checks, walker and cane.
The couple, who live on a fixed income of about $1,600 a month, said they were forced into a van at gunpoint by a man and woman outside a currency exchange.
“I said, ‘What are you doing this for?’” Roger recalled of the robbery. “He told me to be quiet.”
The thieves got away with $700 in addition to the couple’s cane and walker.
Joyce said they planned to use the money taken from them to buy some food.
“I’m glad that they didn’t hurt them, kill them,” said Carl Johnson, the couple’s pastor. “You never see neither one without the other, they are a very inspirational example.”
Johnson, who got Joyce a new cane, routinely picks the couple up for church.
Someone at their apartment’s property management company put together a GoFundMe page to help the couple get back on their feet. The money was deposited into their bank account Monday.
“I thank God for that and thank God for the news,” Roger said after receiving the money.
The couple plans to meet with a financial advisor to handle their funds. They also plan to take extra safety precautions during their walks.
No one was in custody in connection with the incident as of Monday, and police continue to investigate.
Read more at http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/blind-couple-robbed-at-gunpoint-gofundme-money-397365311.html
