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Update: Detroit Man Receives Car, $350K in Donations

James Robertson was commuting 21 miles on foot to his job at a factory in Rochester Hills, Mich.

Update: Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1:35 p.m.

James Robertson received his dream car — a 2015 Ford Taurus — from David Fisher, the co-owner of Suburban Ford, on Friday, according to CBS Detroit
“The old Tauruses from the '80s, they never were this fancy or anything,” Robertson told CBS Detroit. “I feel like I’m standing as living proof that prayer works every time and I want everybody to know that. The best part of the story is that now people are starting to talk about the bus system and how fractured it is. We have a problem and we need to fix it.”
The crowd-funding campaign, set up by Evan Leedy, a Wayne State University student, raised more than $350K.
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James Robertson's story about his commute to work will make you think twice about complaining about rush-hour traffic in the morning. Robertson, who is 56, walks a 21-mile round-trip trek to work, Monday through Friday.
The Detroit Free Press featured Robertson in its Sunday edition of the paper. Robertson lives in Detroit and for the past 10 years has been walking and taking the bus part of the way to work. His job at Schain Mold & Engineering's factory pays $10.55 an hour, but he hasn't made enough money to save for a car since it broke down year ago.
Inspired by the story, Evan Leedy, a Wayne State University student, started a crowd-funding campaign to help raise money for a car for Robertson. By Tuesday (Feb. 3) morning, donations had mounted up to more than $180,000, far past the $5,000 goal.
"At the beginning, my goal was just $5,000. I just wanted to get him a car to get back and forth to work, but thanks to everyone's generous donations, this has skyrocketed into more than just a car," Leedy says on the GoFundMe site. "I want to thank everyone for their continued donations. Every penny will help James in any way that he needs it."
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(Photo: AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza)

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