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Hailey Chemtov, a fifth grader at the Lehrman School, heard that one of the food service workers in her school’s kitchen needed a kidney transplant. The worker, Roland McCarthy, is very popular at the Miami school which Hailey has gone to since kindergarten and which her younger sister also attends.
So Hailey came up with the idea of a GoFundMe page to help cover McCarthy’s medical expenses. The fundraising page, which Hailey started a few weeks ago with help from her mom, has so far raised almost $10,000. Hailey and her parents, Shawn and Heather Chemtov, have spread the word throughout the school and into the broader community. As her fundraiser moves into March – National Kidney Month – those participating are given the opportunity to better understand kidney health and risk prevention.
“Roland is really important at our school because he makes our meals every day,” said Hailey Chemtov. “Because he’s been sick, he has trouble working so I wanted to find a way to help pay his bills.”
McCarthy has been working at the Lehrman School food services since 2013. Due to his worsening kidney failure, he has not been able to come into the school since before winter break, nor work at his second job as a forklift operator. McCarthy has been begging his doctors to allow him to return to his job at the school, which he describes as “my happy place.”
“We have always tried to teach our kids to share the many blessings they have been given,” said Hailey’s dad, Shawn Chemtov. “Hailey found a way to do that and help Roland and I’m so proud of her.”
Hailey’s mom Heather added, “Roland is a Miami native with a heart of gold who helps feed our kids every day. We thought our loving community could show some love for this special man who has done so much for so many!”
The initial fundraising goal was $3,600. To date, that amount has more than doubled to almost $10,000. The money will be used to defray McCarthy’s medical expenses. Heather is also working on obtaining a grant which would provide an additional $1,800.00 for McCarthy’s medical expenses and care.
