The Janitor and the Cook Refused to Leave Abandoned Elderly Residents

Today is #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.  It’s easy to participate, just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more.  The website #GivingTuesday, wants you to  tell everyone what you are doing. That way you can inspire others to give.

That brings me to the tale of Maurice and Miguel,  two people who probably have no idea what  #GivingTuesday is despite what they did last fall when an assisted living home in California shut down.

The staff at the Valley Springs Manor left when they stopped getting paid — except for two people the cook Maurice Rowland, and Miguel Alvarez, the janitor.

StoryCorps got the details from Maurice and Miguel. Listen.

"There was about 16 residents left behind, and we had a conversation in the kitchen, 'What are we going to do?' " Maurice says.

"If we left, they wouldn't have nobody," the 34-year-old Miguel says.

So they stayed, with no pay!

"I would only go home for one hour, take a shower, get dressed, then be there for 24-hour days," says Miguel.

35 year old Maurice, said he didn't want to leave the residents, some  with dementia, to fend for themselves. "I just couldn't see myself going home — next thing you know, they're in the kitchen trying to cook their own food and burn the place down," Maurice says. "Even though they wasn't our family, they were kind of like our family for this short period of time."

For Miguel it was a reminder of what happened to him.  "My parents, when they were younger, they left me abandoned," he says. "Knowing how they are going to feel, I didn't want them to go through that."

Miguel and Maurice spent several days caring for the elderly residents of Valley Springs Manor until the fire department and sheriff took over.

The incident led to legislation in California known as the Residential Care for the Elderly Reform Act of 2014.

Way To Go Guys!