MIDLAND, Texas — Lunchtime at Goddard Junior High School is a pretty rowdy and noisy time, but when Richard Green gets the microphone in his hand, all eyes are on him.
Even though he may sound like a professional singer, Mr. Green is the custodian at the school and has been for 15 years. However, the last seven years, he's been serenading each student with the Happy Birthday song just for them on their Birthday.
"It’s just something I love to do. I love to sing," Green said. "I been singing happy birthday for everybody it don’t matter who it is. It’s your birthday you ask for a request we got you."
For some students it may just be a song, but for other students it means much more.
"Some kids don’t even get birthdays acknowledged to them," Green said. "It’s just another day for them like the young lady that wanted me to sing for her Friday said 'it’s just another day' and I told her 'no that’s a blessing to live another year to be able to make another year.' We got to realize those are blessings when they come around like that."
Mavis Dominic is an 8th grader at Goddard Junior High who will never forget when Mr. Green sung to her on her birthday.
"My birthday wasn’t during a school day but he still made me feel special by singing it during one of the school day because my birthday was during a weekend. So he sang happy birthday to me and made me feel really special," Dominic said. "I really like Mr. Green he’s such a good janitor and he makes going to school really fun."
Mr. Green says his talents can't go to waste.
"It’s just a blessing to be able to do these things, like I tell them you know you have to share what you got with people," Green said. "That’s what I have so I share it freely."
Green also walked the halls as a student at the same school.
"Back then I was kind of shy a little bit to sing out in front of people," Green said. "I would sing but it was like if you was in the choir you’d get in the pew in the back room behind everybody where you can’t be seen."
Decades later, he's taking center stage, sharing his beautiful voice and a little love, one birthday song at a time.
"You just make them feel blessed when you do it for them here," Green said. "I have some that say that’s all they got was that and I give it to them from the heart. So I have no problem with sharing and loving on the kids."