He walks 20 miles (32 km) to get to work on time and his boss rewards him by giving him his car
Who could have suspected that within that young man is a person of great strength of character and spirit of sacrifice?
Well, it is certainly not the first thought that crosses your mind in the middle of moving house! Yet after reading this story, you may perhaps find yourself wondering if your car had broken down the day before, would you have walked more than 20 miles to get to work on time?
Yes, that is exactly what Walter Carr did, a young student whose grit and determination has been rightly repaid.
Walter Carr, 20 years old, is a university student who just like many others, has a dream --- that of becoming a United States Marine --- and the immediate need to find work to make it happen. So, after many job interviews, he finally gets a chance to work on a trial basis for Bellhops Moving, a moving company. Imagine Walter's joy and enthusiasm; good, now imagine his face when, the night before his first day of work, his car - an old Nissan Altima of 2003 - breaks down, literally leaving him on foot, at a distance of 20 miles from his first scheduled move.
A distance that he decides to cover in the only way possible --- on foot!
So, at midnight, Walter leaves his house in Homewood and heads for his first job assignment in Pelham. On the other hand, he is not the type who gives up easily! In fact, he survived with his mother the natural disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina, imagine if he could be discouraged by a broken down car and having to walk. Therefore, it is 4 o'clock in the morning when a Pelham police car finds him on the highway and when the young man tells them how he came to be there, the four police officers, very impressed, decide to accompany him to work, but not before having offered him breakfast.
It is still very early when Walter knocks on the front door of the Lamey family's house, who are almost ready for the move. It is the policemen themselves who explain why the young man has arrived so early and in their company. "I can not tell you how much I've been touched by Walter and his journey: he's humble, kind, and cheerful and has great dreams!", says Jenny Lamey, who after hearing Walter's story decides to help him. In fact, she has created a Go Fund Me page to collect the money needed to buy a car for the earnest and determined young man.
Meanwhile, someone else was also deeply impressed by Walter's great strength of character, namely, Luke Marklin, CEO of the Bellhops Moving transport company, who decides to personally and directly reward his young employee.
"This is an incredible story. The grit and heart Walter showed defines Bellhops' culture precisely. I'm really proud to be on the same team as Walter... we set a high bar on service and he just raised it. Look forward to thanking him in person this week." writes Luke in a post on Twitter. Then he got into his 2014 Ford Escape to reach his company's newest employee. Luke's personal thanks to Walter is, in fact, his own car --- a gift that the young man would never have dreamed of receiving, and that profoundly moved him.
"I want people to know this --- no matter what the challenge is, you can break through the challenge," said Carr. "Nothing is impossible unless you make it impossible." Got the message?! Yes! 👍
