The whole world has heard of this humble shoe shiner who has donated all of the $202,000 worth of shoe shining tips he had received lifelong to the sick, uninsured children.
Albert Lexie, is the humble philanthropist who recently passed away at the age of 76. He retired from the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he worked from 1981 to 2013. He has donated the $202,000 to the Free Care Fund, which ensures young patients receive medical care regardless of their families’ ability to pay.
Lexie followed a strict routine where he would daily wake up at 5:50AM in the morning, and get ready to leave for the hospital. Once at the hospital, he would start shining shoes at 7:25AM. Although he donated such an impressive amount of money, Lexie only made $10,000 per year.
“I wanted to see the kids get well, to see they got well and got better and things like that. … I made myself happy,” Lexie had once said.
Lexie had earned a plethora of rewards, recognitions and media coverage all through his 28-year career.
The hospital’s president, Christopher Gessner, said Lexie was “a perfect example of how just small, incremental acts of kindness can have a really significant impact over time.”
