Last year, a business student from Georgetown University gave a friendly nod to the night-shift janitor who was working in his study room. Today, that student—Febin Bellamy—is the founder of the group Unsung Heroes, dedicated to spotlighting and raising funds for the "invisible" workers on campus. And that janitor—Oneil Batchelor, who is also a "gifted cook"—has a website for his jerk chicken catering business.

Once Bellamy had struck up a friendship with Batchelor, "the once-invisible worker," he couldn't help but wonder about the others: the plumbers, the window cleaners, the cashiers. He began sharing photos and stories on the Unsung Heroes Facebook page—and "the stories got shared. And liked. And loved."

Students are doing more than just posting their appreciation, though. For instance, "the same students who once silently handed their meal cards to [Umberto] Ripai [a cafeteria cashier] just raised more than $5,500 on a GoFundMe page for him to go to South Sudan." Ripai's family lives in South Sudan—and he hasn't seen them for 45 years.

In Batchelor's words, "It's like the door has cracked open in front of me … . And I can smell the air coming through. The inspiration."

Potential Preaching Angles: This story is a powerful reminder to see those around us as fellow image-bearers with stories to tell and burdens to bear—as fellow human beings, created and loved by God.