Heartbroken seeing a 92-year-old still working to make ends meet, a shopper made a desperate plea to strangers — two weeks later, the employee retired
Retirement is an integral part of every human's life. However, some of us are not blessed with the opportunity to rest. Like many elderly people who continue to work to make ends meet, Florida woman April Steele also noticed a 92-year-old woman working at a department store. Her "heart sank" when she saw the old woman working at an age she was meant to be resting at home. But the shopper wasn't ready to let it slide. Her desperate plea to help the woman has now helped the elderly worker retire. Reported by News Channel 10, on January 27, her small act of kindness restored faith in humanity.
April Steele was shopping at Burlington in Pompano Beach when she noticed someone with an "angry face" assisting clientele at the department store. It was 92-year-old Muriel Connick, who had no choice but to work as her Social Security benefits could not cover all her expenses. With rent and other expenses to pay, Connick was forced to work even in old age. Watching the elderly woman working at the store made Steele's "heart sink." Connick worked on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. She primarily worked in the fitting room and helps display clothes at the store.
After learning that Connick needed money to fix her floors and had multiple payments due, Steele was determined to do something. She launched a GoFundMe page to help the woman retire. In the description under a couple of pictures of Connick's working at the store, she wrote: "My point is that if anyone is fortunate enough to leave a small donation for Muriel I beg you to do so and give her freedom to enjoy what time is left of her retirement."
The page went viral and collected more than $122,000 as of February 2, against the initial target of $10,000. Connick was stunned by the responses she received across the country and expressed her gratitude for the help that she received. The elderly worker who assumed Steele was going to offer her a card to contact if she needed help was astonished by her gesture. "I was really surprised, and I didn't know she was going to do all this," she noted.
While Connick now happily plans to retire soon, her co-workers cannot be happier for her. A colleague shared that Connick was the most deserving person who received the funds. The colleague who worked with Connick for over 2 years called her an "incredibly strong" person. "She showed up for work every day and works harder than most people there," they noted. A 2022 report in the Understanding the Aging Workforce: Defining a Research Agenda, noted that there has been a surge in elderly people working post-60 years of age. While the percentage of employed men in this age range increased from 7.4% to 14.8%, the percentage for women rose from 6.3% to 14.0%. While Connick received a deserving break from working at 92, there are still many elderly workers in the country who continue to work to make ends meet.