An 85-year-old Tennessee movie theatre worker has been gifted over $146,000 (£115,000) by strangers after a video of her working hard went viral on social media.
Mary Ellen Eron was filmed lifting a heavy black bin bag and pushing a cleaning cart at an AMC theatre in Maryville, Tennessee. The video, posted by attendee Brooklyn Green, has gained over 2 million likes. Green started a GoFundMe campaign to help Eron retire, raising $146,317 from more than 7,500 donations in 48 hours.
Green surprised Eron with the news, presenting her with a paper showing the total. Eron said, “Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of money.” Green replied, “That’s a lot of money, and you deserve every bit of it.”
Despite the generous offer, it remains unclear whether Eron will retire. Her manager told Green that Eron has worked at movie theatres for 45 years and loves her job. Commenters on the original video confirmed that Eron refuses to retire because she does not want to be bored at home.
In her spare time, Eron has been helping a mother and her children, as well as homeless people. She thanked donors, saying, “I’m overwhelmed and certainly blessed by the Lord and you wonderful people.”
