AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K from strangers for retirement after viral video

AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K from strangers for retirement after viral video

A Tennessee woman working for AMC movie theaters has gone viral after she was gifted $146k by customers for her retirement in a new wholesome video

View 4 Images Mary Ellen Eron, 85, was working her shift at the Maryville, Tenn. AMC, pushing a cleaning cart and taking out the trash in a video that has since been viewed by 13 million users on social media (Image: Brooklyn Green via Storyful)

A Tennessee woman working for AMC movie theaters was gifted $146k by customers for her retirement in a new wholesome video.

In a video that has since gone viral, Mary Ellen Eron, 85, was working her shift at the Maryville, Tenn., AMC, pushing a cleaning cart and taking out the trash when the sweet moment occurred. As of Friday, the video has been viewed by 13 million users on social media.

It was during this routine that the good Samaritans decided to surprise her by fundraising for her retirement. “Let’s secretly help retire this beautiful woman. No one deserves to work at this age,” Brooklyn Green, a movie-goer, posted on social media.

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Green then spearheaded a fundraising campaign to help the 85-year-old retire. It later turned out that Eron had proudly worked at the movie theater for 45 years. “I knew nothing about her. I didn’t even know her name when I went to the theater. I just decided that she was working so hard, and I aspired to be like her one day. Her physical appearance didn’t look too comfortable, especially since the way she was working so hard. So I just decided, let’s shoot our shot. Let’s try to retire her and thought just a couple friends would donate,” Green told WATE.

Nevertheless, Green was surprised when he realized that, just hours after the campaign launched, individuals outside his social group had taken notice of the case and decided to help. In about 48 hours, the GoFundMe had over 7,500 donations and a total of $146,317.

View 4 Images Green spearheaded a fundraising campaign to help the 85-year-old retire (Image: Brooklyn Green via Storyful)

The fundraiser got so popular that it even reached Eron herself before Green could surprise her. However, the 85-year-old was unaware of the massive sum that strangers would soon kindly gift her. The Mirror U.S. reached out to Green for comment.

“I said, let’s surprise this beautiful woman and try to retire her. I kept it quiet, and then in the middle of the night, her neighbor knocked on her door and said, ‘Hey, you’re going viral.’ So that’s when she found out about it. She didn’t have a clue how much it was, though,” said Green. After closing the fundraiser, at Eron’s request, Green returned to the AMC where Eron worked to present the gift.

View 4 Images Nevertheless, Green was surprised when he realized that, just hours after the campaign launched, individuals outside his social group had taken notice of the case and decided to help (Image: Brooklyn Green via Storyful)

Another video posted by Green showed Eron being shocked at the sum of money she received. “Oh my goodness gracious! That’s a lot of money,” Eron, who also helps the homeless and her local church, can be heard saying in the footage as she reaches out to hug the organizer.

“That’s a lot of money and you deserve every bit of it,” Green replied. Users on social media were quick to send Eron love.

View 4 Images Users on social media were quick to send Eron love. One user shared their experience working with the woman, describing her as a hard worker who “loves her job” (Image: Brooklyn Green via Storyful)

One user shared their experience working with the woman, describing her as a hard worker who “loves her job.” They said, “So I actually worked at this AMC that’s MARY! We love Mary! She REFUSES to retire! She doesn’t want to sit at home and be bored. She LOVES her job!”

It remains unclear if Eron will actually retire with the money she received, as that decision is up to her. Further, Eron’s boss said she loves working and is described as a “giver.” In addition to helping her community’s homeless population, she also assists a mother and her children.

Green said that she was thankful for the people who participated in the fundraiser and that the campaign had surpassed her expectations. She told WATE that she was overwhelmed at the support she received and the appreciation people sent Mary’s way.

“It’s overwhelming the amount of people that donated and commented, and even the people that didn’t donate, like their support meant just as much,” Green said. “I’m just thankful they trusted me with those funds and to give those to her.”