The J.J. Pearce High School swim team noticed when a familiar face was missing from campus. Their beloved custodian Van Hua Le was suffering serious health issues, leaving him out of work for weeks without pay.
So, swimmers did what swimmers know best: they dove in.
The team hosted a Swim-A-Thon on Jan. 16, swimming laps non-stop for more than 4,000 meters — more than two miles — and raised about $18,000 for Le, said coach Eric Ewing. Classmates, alumni and parents rallied behind the effort by seeking donations and chipping in to bring the event to life.
“It just sort of grew and grew and grew,” said Ewing, who also teaches finance. “I always tell our kids, ‘The best way to feel good is to do something good for somebody else.’”
The Education Lab
The J.J. Pearce High School swim team hosted a Swim-A-Thon to raise money and help their beloved custodian Van Hua Le with his medical bills and recoup lost wages.
Courtesy of Richardson ISD
At the end of the event, Le arrived at the indoor pool where a crowd of students and parents had gathered. One parent, who knows Vietnamese, translated for Le what the team had done. Le started weeping and embraced Ewing, as the parents and students wiped their eyes alongside him.
The team also surprised him with a new car and bicycle. Le lives about six miles away from the school, and his commute can take about an hour on bike and even longer on foot.
Before the Swim-A-Thon, the school district offered Le a job at a school that was closer to Le’s home. But Le turned it down, citing his fondness for J.J. Pearce.
“[He’s] somebody who wanted to be where we are that badly and is such a good worker and such a good human,” Ewing said. “We just thought we should help.”
The team is still raising money for Le through a GoFundMe.
The J.J. Pearce High School swim team hosted a Swim-A-Thon to raise about $18,000 for their beloved custodian Van Hua Le.
Courtesy of Richardson ISD
While the original goal was to help Le with his medical bills and recoup his lost wages, the effort became about something more, Ewing said.
The team wanted to show Le: “how many people at J.J. Pearce and in the community cared about him,” Ewing said.
“I think we got that message across,” Ewing said.
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