Help Our Local Hero
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Please join us in showing support for our local community hero Olusegun Odubanjo – affectionately known as Mr. Wale.
Last week, Mr. Wale's phone was stolen. The person who stole it used the PayPal app to make incremental withdraws from Mr. Wale's bank account until they had drained $692 - his entire savings - leaving him with just 89cents to live on. Capital One, who he banks with, initially refunded the stolen money, only to withdraw it again later because the withdraws had come from his phone. Though he had proof the phone had been stolen, they would not work with him and told him to contact the cash app. Paypal refuses to help or return emails & phone calls, though others have also tried on his behalf.
As most Americans can relate to, especially after COVID-19 ripped through our economy, Mr. Wale lives paycheck to paycheck. So being depleted of all of his money has been difficult. The money we're raising will be used first to replace the phone that was stolen, which he needs for his job, and then to provide him with support for the money that was lost.
Mr. Wale works as a patient driver for a large hospital on Long Island. He's often on the roads navigating Queens and Long Island by 4am, not finishing until late into the evening after the last patient as been dropped off. During the height of the pandemic in NY, he purchased his own cleaning supplies for his van and put himself at risk for COVID-19 every day in order to ensure that patients whose lives were at risk could receive the care they needed. In his downtime between patients, he kept himself busy helping his clinical team, cleaning treatment rooms, and delivering educational materials to keep physicians & patients informed when timely communication was needed most. He never missed a day of work, and still comes to work every day with a smile.
And with a second wave of COVID-19 threatening to break, he will be called on again to put himself at risk every day during an already intense flu season.
Mr. Wale is respected by physicians, hospital administrators, clinicians, and the community. His character has been praised by patients, and awarded by his employer. In fact, he was the first to receive the Hero award by his employer for his exceptional work ethic and caring attitude during the pandemic. He is kind, calm, compassionate and gentle. And to our knowledge, he has never even so much as received a speeding ticket. If anyone deserves a little support during a very difficult time, he is as deserving as any.
We've created this page so those who know and have been positively impacted by Mr. Wale can share support. If we can even raise half of what he lost, it would make a tremendous difference during this holiday season. Let's create a holiday miracle, and get our hero back on his feet so he can focus on what he does best - helping people.
Last week, Mr. Wale's phone was stolen. The person who stole it used the PayPal app to make incremental withdraws from Mr. Wale's bank account until they had drained $692 - his entire savings - leaving him with just 89cents to live on. Capital One, who he banks with, initially refunded the stolen money, only to withdraw it again later because the withdraws had come from his phone. Though he had proof the phone had been stolen, they would not work with him and told him to contact the cash app. Paypal refuses to help or return emails & phone calls, though others have also tried on his behalf.
As most Americans can relate to, especially after COVID-19 ripped through our economy, Mr. Wale lives paycheck to paycheck. So being depleted of all of his money has been difficult. The money we're raising will be used first to replace the phone that was stolen, which he needs for his job, and then to provide him with support for the money that was lost.
Mr. Wale works as a patient driver for a large hospital on Long Island. He's often on the roads navigating Queens and Long Island by 4am, not finishing until late into the evening after the last patient as been dropped off. During the height of the pandemic in NY, he purchased his own cleaning supplies for his van and put himself at risk for COVID-19 every day in order to ensure that patients whose lives were at risk could receive the care they needed. In his downtime between patients, he kept himself busy helping his clinical team, cleaning treatment rooms, and delivering educational materials to keep physicians & patients informed when timely communication was needed most. He never missed a day of work, and still comes to work every day with a smile.
And with a second wave of COVID-19 threatening to break, he will be called on again to put himself at risk every day during an already intense flu season.
Mr. Wale is respected by physicians, hospital administrators, clinicians, and the community. His character has been praised by patients, and awarded by his employer. In fact, he was the first to receive the Hero award by his employer for his exceptional work ethic and caring attitude during the pandemic. He is kind, calm, compassionate and gentle. And to our knowledge, he has never even so much as received a speeding ticket. If anyone deserves a little support during a very difficult time, he is as deserving as any.
We've created this page so those who know and have been positively impacted by Mr. Wale can share support. If we can even raise half of what he lost, it would make a tremendous difference during this holiday season. Let's create a holiday miracle, and get our hero back on his feet so he can focus on what he does best - helping people.
Organizer
Renee Novelle
Organizer
Wyandanch, NY
