A group of Arizona high school seniors came to help a beloved teacher by raising almost $10,000 to help cover the cost of his wife’s crucial heart surgery. Parker Bond, a 2023 graduate of Arcadia High School in Phoenix, told Fox News Digital, “We just need more kind acts, no matter how small it is or how large it is.”
Bond added, “A teacher like Mr. Guy, who gave so much to us when he was down in a situation like this, was able to receive back because of his kindness and all he did for us.” Clayton Guy has taught economics and government at Arcadia High School in Phoenix since 2004. Bond was in his class this past year. Bond said, “Mr. Guy always has a lot of energy. He tries to include everybody in the class so he wasn’t one of those quiet teachers who just sits there and expects you to do it.”
He added, “He is very involved with the participation, and he could talk to anybody. He’s just very outgoing. He could have a conversation with anyone.” A teacher for 26 years, Guy said he enjoys the focus on economics and government because he feels those subjects are helpful to his students.
However, last spring, students sensed a change in Guy’s demeanor. Bond said, “He wasn’t that energetic person we were used to for the entire year. He was pretty quiet. We could tell that something was off. We didn’t know what it was, but he did end up telling us.” Guy explained that his wife, Angel, had chest pains. After extensive tests and doctor appointments, she would need open-heart surgery due to blockage.
Guy said, “I was missing days and missing time, and on March 11, we did the surgery. Then I had to be out from that day on because I was her nurse and the person who would give her the pills and take care of her and be at the hospital.” Bond said he and a few other students researched the details of Angel Guy’s heart surgery and learned it was pricey, “even with insurance.”
Bond said he and the other students decided to fundraise for Angel Guy’s surgery. The teenagers devised a plan, but first, they ran it by their teacher, setting a goal to raise $10,000. “I came in one morning, and I told him that we wanted to do that, and he was very grateful,” Bond said about his teacher’s reaction. Guy said he was taken aback by his student’s desire to help.
He added that while some teens today might get a bad rap, his students are far from selfish. Guy said, “I mean, yes, they’re on their phones, but they care about people. They have friends, and they care about people. Parker would always come in and talk. He would always ask, ‘How was your weekend? What did you do? How’s your day going?'”
The students started a GoFundMe account, and the contributions poured in. Bond said, “We raised a couple hundred bucks on the first day.” He added, “Now we’re almost to the $10,000 goal.” Guy said his wife is recovering well.
As for what Guy’s students did to support her, Angel Guy said she was “overjoyed” and “couldn’t believe they did it.” Guy said, “The students were very kindhearted, and they did it on their own. They did it without prompting from a teacher or anybody else.” As for student Parker Bond, he said this was the first time he’s been able “to contribute like this to someone else’s life” and that it felt good.