CADILLAC — A teacher at the Wexford- Missaukee ISD Career Tech Center received what he calls the surprise of a lifetime from a local real estate developer.
“She’s probably going to say ‘Are you kidding me? Are you for real?’” CTC digital media production teacher Rich Spicer said.
By his own admission, Spicer said he’s got some explaining to do.
“When I get home, I will have to explain to my wife that somehow, this van was gifted to our family, and I don’t know exactly what she’s going to say,” said Spicer.
The 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan was given to him by real estate developer Robb Munger, who noticed the van Spicer was driving was on its last leg.
“He’s apparently seen my old rust bucket of a van and had some concerns about my safety in it. But you know man, I appreciate you, wow, this is so totally unexpected,” said Spicer.
Spicer had been dumping some serious cash into his rust bucket car, hoping to make it to and from work so he could teach the kids, he said, give him a chance to share his passion for media.
“Just this morning, I was thinking about calling one of the local auto parts places and finding out how much it would cost to replace my rusted-out liftgate in the back. But I guess i don’t have to do that now,” said Spicer.
The old ride had over 200,000 miles on it, and Munger thought it could be a safety hazard for the beloved teacher.
“I thought it was so rusted out, it could break down in the middle of nowhere, and so I started worrying about him, so many people rely on the rich, so many students, his family,” Munger said.
In the blink of an eye, Munger decided he had to help and he shopped around for a few used cars and forked over the cash from his own pocket.
Munger said weeks went into planning the surprise and it wasn’t the easiest thing to pull off, he’d need some help.
“The school did a phenomenal job with a group email, starting with David Cox, and then he really brought the team together.”
There’s a final message Spicer wants everyone to know, something he teaches his students on a daily basis.
“I’ve always thought that kindness ripples out and I guess I’m the recipient of that today.
