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Beloved Forsyth County school custodian finalist for national 'Custodian of the Year'
'Mr. Rich' is head custodian at Kelly Mill Elementary School and the kids love him. Now he's one of the finalists to be named the 2023 Custodian of the Year.
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - A Forsyth County elementary school's custodian is being honored on the national stage above and beyond the job.
FOX 5 first introduced you to Richard Toomey - known as "Mr Rich" to the kids at Kelly Mill Elementary School in Cumming, Georgia.
Every morning, Toomey gets to the school at 5 a.m. and begins his work, but the best part of his job starts a few hours later.
"Seven o'clock is when the kids arrive and that's really when the day starts and the day becomes special," he told Good Day's Lindsay Tuman.
He's been at the school for eight years and calls the place a second home. His son is even a second-grader there.
"Really since day one it has been an amazing experience. Everybody here truly treats you like a family, it's always felt that way," he said.
And the students and staff feel the same way about Mr. Rich. That's why more than 90 people nominated him to be the 2023 Cintas Custodian of the Year. And, after over 200,000 were cast, there was no doubt that Mr. Rich was taking the top prize.
"It’s so important to recognize the dedication and often thankless hard work that custodians provide to schools," said Cintas Marketing Manager Christiny Betsch. "It’s evident that Rich is a deeply valued member of his school and looked up to by students, staff and the community. It was an honor to be a part of giving him the recognition he deserves."
Toomey was told he won the award in a surprise ceremony in Kelly Mill's gymnasium.
In a video posted by the school, Toomey and another employee are walking to the gym when all of a sudden he hears the sounds of students cheering. Walking into the building, the entire school and his family are waiting with confetti and balloons.
As the crowd chants "Mr. Rich," an emotional Toomey thanks them all, saying that he couldn't do all the good work without his fellow custodians.
Along with the title, Toomey will receive $10,000, plus $5,000 in products for the school and an all-expense paid trip for two to the ISSA Show North America in Las Vegas.
While the prizes are great, for Mr. Rich, being recognized for doing a job he loves by the community he loves even more is already a grand prize.
"The connections you make, it's what makes all of this so special and such a privilege for what I do every day." he said.