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Ann Marie's All Stars: Mr. Charlie the custodian

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A Harper Woods elementary school custodian is showing students that no matter your role, you can make a big difference in the lives of others.

The kids call him Mr. Charlie and Charles Waldorf has become a staple in the community for more than 30 years.

“He cleans everything, you never smell anything bad, the floors are shiny, you can see your reflection in them,” sixth grader Kevin Butts said.

Hours before the students of Tyrone Elementary fill the hallways with laughter, ready to learn Mr. Charlie is ensuring everything is just perfect as soon as they walk in the door.

“I’ve got the same passion that all the teachers and the principal and everybody else here has for making a difference,” he said.

A former Harper Woods student himself, it’s a difference he’s been making by working in the elementary school for 30 years.

“If you’re feeling down he’ll go out of his way to give you generous words to bring you back up,” Butts said. “Say he’s not having a good day and you can never tell, he always has a smile on his face.”

The elementary school is spotless, a remarkable feat in itself, but Mr. Charlie goes far beyond his custodial duties created reading videos and really getting to know the kids during lunch and recess.

“He’s always smiling, he’s always there, always greeting everybody- he gets involved with the kids, he gets involved with things outside, he gets involved with things in the classroom and gets the kids involved with the personal things he’s passionate about,” teacher Brenda Ban said.

And his passion shows, there’s not a student who doesn’t know him or wait for that high five as he heads down the hall.

“I don’t know how it happens, it just comes natural, I guess,” Mr. Charlie said. “If I could make a dent somewhere along the line, that’s what it’s all about for me.”

He’s certainly made more than just a dent as the students will tell you, in a job that’s often thankless and sometimes unpleasant.  Mr. Charlie is teaching the kids a lesson in what’s sometimes the hardest subject of all.

“That’s courage and determination because it’s a lot of hard work to do your job at a very high level for anything that’s a lot of hard work, but to do it consistently and care about it, that’s even harder and that shows courage and determination to stick with it,” Butts said.

Congratulations Mr. Charlie!

To nominate someone for Ann Marie’s All Stars email annmarie.laflamme@wxyz.com

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