After losing his house of 60 years, Butler, an 83-year-old Altadena fire victim, made headlines after announcing his plans to assist his community in rebuilding.
According to ABC News, Butler is known as “the heart and soul of Altadena and Pasadena” by many, including his four children, due to the support he has given to the community over the years.
During his tenure as Pasadena City College’s assistant track and field coach, the longtime Altadena resident helped guide the squad to three straight state championships from 1975 and 1977.
RELATED STORIES
He has assisted homeless children, pensioners, and others in the community. According to him, he started giving out shoes at his sporting goods store when he recalled having holes in his own shoes as a child in elementary school.
READ ALSO: ‘I forgot I had cancer’: NFL star Jayden Daniels grants wish of cancer patient
Butler’s touching story was initially published on social media by “Make Big Talk.” At the time, he told Kalina Silverman, the producer of “Make Big Talk,” that he “lost everything” but is happy to still have “my health and my life.”
“From a guy with everything, to nothing,” the octogenarian said. “I spent my whole life helping people. I didn’t think it would happen to me, but it did. But I have my health and my life.”
Butler’s children launched a GoFundMe for him when the January 10 video became popular on social media, and contributions soared, raising almost $900,000.
NBA legend and philanthropist Magic Johnson visited the respected senior in collaboration with Fanatics to assist him in reassembling his jersey collection.
Butler appeared shocked as he glanced through various jerseys, including a Laker’s jersey of the late Kobe Bryant in a video posted on Instagram. Johnson strolled in as Walter was contemplating what the gesture meant to him.
“Hey, my man. The Michigan man!” Butler hugged Johnson and exclaimed.
Johnson replied, “I’m thrilled to meet you, and I’m sorry about what happened to your home. But also, I wanted to tell you thank you for what you’ve done for all those kids and families because you were a blessing to so many.”
Then, to his amazement, the 65-year-old icon gave him additional signed jerseys, including his Dream Team and All-Star jerseys. Already beaming, Johnson offered one last gift: a check for $20,000.
“Because you helped so many people, I’m going to give you a gift; that’s $20,000. Hopefully, that’ll help you in some kind of way. That’s personally from me,” Johnson noted.
Butler pledged to use the funds for community development as a token of appreciation.
He declared, “I’m going to use this in the right way. This you can count on, not a dollar that’s gonna be spent on Walt. Not one dollar. Because I’m gonna get a food truck to make sure people eat. Plus, I get to have fun.”
“What you want to do for the people in the community, I’m behind that 100%,” the NBA icon said in agreement.
The Altadena fire was one of several fires across Los Angeles that burned over 14,000 acres, killed many residents and destroyed over 7,000 structures.
READ ALSO: At 102, Eloise Brown is one of the Eagles’ oldest fans born way before the team existed
