Jerry's Pawn steps up to help put musician back to work.
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- Robert Haynes is homeless, but he spends his days playing his valued trumpet in the parking lot at a local Lawrenceville mall.
Customers love the music and give Haynes money. It's enough, he says, to help his mother pay the rent in her small apartment. But over the weekend, Robert's world dramatically changed.
"I was sitting here. I had my trumpet on the right side and to the left I had my backpack. I went inside to get a drink out of the soda machine and when I came back out my stuff was gone," he said.
He says he lost everything -- his trumpet, his backpack, what little money he had and his personal papers. And so far, he has had no luck in finding any of it.
"It hurt me to know that someone would come and take from me take something that helped me make a living," he said.
11Alive News learned about Haynes and his situation from a Facebook post by former Salvation Army worker Elaine French Rago.
Atlanta pawnbroker David Adelman stepped up to get Haynes a new trumpet with a custom carrying case. Outdoor retailer REI added an extra large backpack.
The Salvation Army is giving Robert an opportunity to participate in a live-in program for homeless men.
"They have given Robert a bed -- so after this interview, Robert will be enrolled into the program for the next year," said Rago.
The program will give Haynes new beginning after a really tough break in his life.
Source: Alive11.com
