College students raise cash to buy new cell phone for sanitation worker

A group of college students from China West Normal University in Nanchong, Sichuan province, ran a fundraising campaign to buy a cell phone for a sanitation worker who had lost his phone during work.

The sanitation worker named Ren Xingyu at first politely rejected their good deed, saying the students were not making any money. But the students insisted, saying the phone was a promotional gift by the carrier. Finally, Ren accepted their kindness.

The 63-year-old Ren lost his phone on May 3 after cleaning the street near the university. Nearby students tried to help him by putting up posters on the street and posting the information online, but the phone was lost.

On the same day, a female student surnamed Zhang saw the information and suggested a fundrasing activity to buy Ren a new phone. Her proposal was liked by a number of students.

The next day, a total of 817.24 yuan was raised in about 4 hours, and more than a hundred people showed their love.

Upon learning about the story, the mobile phone store also donated 100 yuan.

At first, Ren rejected the new phone, saying the students were not making any money. But Zhang and her friends told Ren a white lie: the phone was a promotional gift by the carrier. After a long explanation, Ren finally accepted the students' kindness.

Ren said the only way to reward the students is to make the roads cleaner.