Reading Terminal Market worker surprised with World Cup tickets – NBC10 Philadelphia

A longtime housekeeping and maintenance employee at the Reading Terminal Market received a heartwarming surprise from his fellow coworkers on Friday morning.

Gerald L., a Haitian refugee who has worked at the Market for more than 10 years, was surprised with tickets to the Haiti vs. Brazil FIFA World Cup match.

Market officials said leadership, merchants and Elliott Lewis staff collected donations to buy Gerald two tickets to Friday night’s game at the Lincoln Financial Field, currently known as Philadelphia Stadium.

In a video shared by the Market, a staff member is seen giving Gerald an envelope.

Before even opening it, Gerald says “thank you,” with a big smile on his face.

“You need to open it,” the staff member tells Gerald.

Then, the big surprise happens.

Gerald pulls out a certificate that says:

“Thank you Reading Terminal Market, thanks Gerald L. for all that you do for the market and the merchants. Please enjoy Haiti and Brazil match tonight… You are going!”

Staff members then start clapping and cheering, and Gerald’s smile grows even bigger.

Watch the heartwarming surprise in the video above

The Haiti vs. Brazil match is set to start at 8:30 p.m.