College students' act of kindness for beloved security guard goes viral, allows him to visit family overseas

Security guard is seen falling to the ground, overcome with emotion upon hearing the news

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Students at Providence College, a Catholic school in Rhode Island, have raised thousands of dollars in a fundraiser to send a security guard back to see his family in Nigeria. 

The students started a GoFundMe fundraiser that initially raised "$6,287, more than twice their goal, to send James Mogaji to Nigeria in June," according to the Providence Journal.

"James is without a doubt the best security guard here at Providence College," the students wrote in the fundraiser's description online. "He works four overnight shifts a week and the Raymond Hall 4th Floor would love to raise money for him to see his family in Nigeria that he hasn’t seen in a long time." 

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Students at Providence College, a Catholic school in Rhode Island, have raised thousands of dollars in a fundraiser to send a security guard back to see his family in Nigeria.  (Good Morning America)

"For those of you that don't know James, he truly is one of the nicest people you will ever meet," the fundraiser description reads. "He greets everybody with a smile and always welcomes conversations no matter what time of the night you run into him. He has expressed how much he enjoys his job here at PC, and we would love to be able to allow him to visit his family. He does not know how much we appreciate him, and hope that this shows to him how much he means to our community." 

In a video that has since gone viral on TikTok, Mogaji, overcome with emotion, collapses to the ground after he hears from a group of Providence students that they raised money for him to go and see his family in Nigeria. 

"I don't know how much I can thank you guys," Mogaji told the students. "I pray from the bottom of my heart that God will continue to protect you guys, to make sure you achieve your goals."

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"He’s just the kindest soul anyone has ever met in this building. He means so much to us," student Brandon Reichert told WCVB-TV. "It was amazing how fast everyone connected and were able to put it together for him." (Good Morning America)

"This is unbelievable. This is unexpected," he said. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart." 

"We take care of our own. That’s what we do at PC," Daniel Singh ’26, a resident assistant in Raymond Hall, told Mogaji in the video, per a press release from Providence College. "As long as I’ve been here, they’ve done that for me, we’ve done that for each other, so now we’re doing it for you."

"He’s just the kindest soul anyone has ever met in this building. He means so much to us," student Brandon Reichert told WCVB-TV. "It was amazing how fast everyone connected and were able to put it together for him."

"The extremely considerate action of our students in Raymond Hall is generous and heartwarming, but it is certainly not surprising," Providence College President Fr. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P., told Fox News Digital. "Our campus community has a long history of care and concern for one another, and this is just the latest example. It makes us all proud to call ourselves Friars."

Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History. 

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Authored by Jeffrey Clark via FoxNews March 13th 2024