PERSEVERANCE: A young Alabama man who was determined to make it to his new job walked 20 miles. On Monday, he was rewarded with a vehicle of his own. https://bit.ly/2JtPnjT
Posted by ABC 33/40 on Tuesday, July 17, 2018
A 20-year-old student received praise for his tenacity and determination to get to work despite having to walk many miles down the road.
Walter Carr was awarded his boss’s Ford Escape after he made it his mission to walk 20 miles to his first day of work on Friday.
The young man’s 2003 Nissan Altima broke down before his first day of work at Bellhops Moving. He tried asking others for a ride to his destination, but no one was able to take him, but that didn’t deter Carr. He looked up the walking distance on his GPS from his home in Homewood, AL to his new job in Pelham. He set off on foot for the seven-hour walk around midnight.
Along the way, Carr was spotted by Pelham Police officials who took him to breakfast and bought him lunch.
“He [Police Officer] was like, ‘Where are you going?’ and I was like, ‘It’s hard to believe, it’s going to sound real crazy, but I’m actually headed to work,'” Carr told USA Today.
Carr began walking again after the officers dropped him off at a nearby church. Another patrol car checked on the young man and transported him to Jenny Hayden Lamey’s home who he was supposed to help move that day.
“I wanted to be there before 8,” the student said. “I wanted to beat the crew members there to let the company know how dedicated I am.”
The woman and her husband Chris were stunned when the officer told them Carr’s story and were amazed by his perseverance.
“They were overwhelmed,” the 20-year-old said. “We argued about five minutes about me resting.”
Lamey shared Carr’s story on her Facebook page and it got over 800 shares on the first day. “I just can’t tell you how touched I was by Walter and his journey,” she wrote. “He is humble and kind and cheerful and he had big dreams!”
The “Bellhops Moving” CEO Luke Marklin got word of the young man’s story on Sunday. He said, “Just sitting there reading it, I was just blown away… The more we learned, the more we realized Walter was just a special person.”
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. https://t.co/Fr4ytu5CM1
— Luke Marklin (@LukeMarklin) July 15, 2018
Marklin handed Carr the keys and the young man was filled with joyous emotions.
The 20-year-old said, “I wanted to show them that I have the dedication and that I always have [it] in my life and that I am going to get to this job one way or the other. (I) tell people if you think over 20 miles is a lot, then come walk in my shoes, because my shoes was really killing me that day.”
