An Alabama college student’s work ethic has paid off after he walked 14 miles to avoid missing his first day of work.
Walter Carr was due to start his job with Bellhops Moving Company on Sunday, July 15, but his car broke down the night before. Rather than canceling, he laced up his sneakers and walked all night to make it to his first day on the job on time, according to AL.com. He left his house at midnight to begin the trek.
He walked about 14 miles before he was picked up by police officers in Pelham. For many of us, that would be scary, but it was a blessing for Carr. The officers took him to breakfast and dropped him off at his work site, which was Jenny Lamey's house.
When the officers told Lamey what Carr did, she posted the story on Facebook, and it went viral. Carr is also a Hurricane Katrina survivor. She asked if he wanted to rest before his shift, but he declined and started working.
Lamey wrote about waking up around 5:45 a.m. "to get everything staged and ready for the movers," and how the doorbell rang at 6:30 with a police officer there telling her and her husband, Chris, about Carr.
"The officer proceeded to tell us that the previous evening Walter's car broke down, and he didn't know how he was going to get to work. So he left Homewood at MIDNIGHT and started WALKING to Pelham on 280. For those reading this that are not local, that's over 20 miles."
According to Lamey, Carr was reluctant to share the story with his co-workers, but when they found out, they were equally impressed.
The news reached Bellhops CEO Luke Marklin who gifted him a barely-used Ford Escape.
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
Lamey also started a GoFundMe campaign in Carr’s honor.
It was a humbling experience for Carr. He credits his parents and God for instilling the value of hard work.
"This was the first job in a long time to give me an opportunity to get hired. I wanted to show them I got the dedication. I said I'm going to get to this job one way or another,” Carr said according to AL.com.
"I want people to know this — no matter what the challenge is, you can break through the challenge. Nothing is impossible unless you make it impossible.”
Carr is due to graduate from Lawson State in December with an associate degree in health sciences. He plans to join the Marine Corps and get a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy.
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