20-Year-Old Walks 10 Miles to Work After Hurricane Katrina Destroys Home
The cop car pulled up alongside him, but he continued to plod
forward. However, the car continued to follow. He had to make it 10
miles to go, and he’d be safe. He looked at his watch and walked faster,
his legs burning as he powered on, but there was no deterring this
policeman. Walter Carr had moved to Homewood, Alabama with his mother
after tragedy struck. They’d hoped to rebuild their lives after their
home was destroyed by the monster Hurricane Katrina and wanted to start
fresh.
Walter was a 20-year-old student, but he was determined to work to
support his mother. Little did he know just how hard that would prove to
be. Walter had heard that there was a position available at Bellhops, a
moving company about 20 miles away from where he lived. It was far to
travel, but he had his trusty old car, so he drove over and filled in
the application and was lucky to get an interview right then and there.
He shook the hiring manager’s hand and agreed to start the very next
day. If only it were so easy.
Man Determined to Keep Job Walks 20 Miles After Car Breaks Down
Just a few feet away from his driveway, his old car spluttered to a
halt. Walter’s heart started to race as he opened the hood and peered
inside. Of all days, his car chose this one to finally give in and die.
To his dismay, smoke poured from the engine, and he knew there would be
no starting it again. Walter pulled out his phone to tell the manager of
Bellhops that he wouldn’t be starting after all. Then he changed his
mind.
Walter was young and fit, but still, 20 miles is an impossible
distance. But Walter was determined. Maybe he could do it. He keyed the
address into Google Maps and then he started to cry in defeat. It would
take him seven hours to get there on foot, and he had no money to get
his car repaired. What could Walter do? He needed this job. His mother
was unable to make the house payments, and they could find themselves
homeless again within a month. Walter simply couldn’t let that happen.
He had to try. So he set his alarm for 12 am and tried to get a good
night’s sleep.
Man’s Determination to Reach Work Leads to Surprising Encounter with Police
When 12 am rolled around, Walter awoke. He pulled on his most
comfortable sneakers, threw on his jacket, and set off into the night.
It would take seven hours to get there, but he was determined to reach
the Bellhop’s client on time. As if walking the back-breaking 20 miles
wasn’t enough, life decided to throw Walter another curveball. Walter
had started his walk at a brisk pace, but by the time he reached the
halfway mark, his legs were shaking, sweat poured from his face, and his
feet burned.
He’d walked over 10 miles, and the exertion was taking its toll. The
thought of losing his job on the first day kept him going as he focused
on moving one foot after the other again and again. Then he saw a flash
of blue. He’d been too focused on keeping his legs moving to notice, but
a car had been following for the last 10 minutes. It was 4:20 am, and
he still had miles and miles to go. Then the car flashed its lights and
blared its short warning siren, and he knew they were there for him.
Cop helps determined man make it to work on time after late-night walk.
Walter turned his head to see the cop roll up beside him. “Where you
rushing off to, buddy?” the cop asked pointedly. He had a rough and late
night on patrol duty, and the last thing he wanted was more trouble.
Walter, gasping for breath, tried to answer him without breaking his
stride. He was all too aware that the clock was ticking. The cop had
seen enough and ordered Walter into the car.
He didn’t care to find out what this young man was doing in the
street at that late hour. As far as he was concerned, he was up to no
good. But when Walter mustered enough breath to tell him the reason for
his late-night walkabout, his eyes widened in disbelief. Officer Sean
Gray had seen many things in his life, but this boy’s determination
astounded him beyond relief. They drove the next six miles in silence
until Walter saw the house appear in the distance. Relief crashed over
him like a wave. He’d made it before time had run out.
Police Officer Helps Bellhop Employee Travel 14 Miles to Assist Homeowner with Move
He thanked Officer Gray and shakily got out of the car, but there was
still more surprises for Walter on that fateful day. The policeman
escorted Walter to the door and told the homeowner, Jenny Hayden Lamy,
how he had traveled 14 miles on foot to help her with her move. She was
flabbergasted by his dedication. When the rest of the Bellhop’s crew
arrived, Walter tirelessly got to work loading boxes into the moving
van. He was exhausted, but he kept going.
Then Jenny wrote the post on Facebook that exploded overnight.
Jenny’s Facebook post read: “Yesterday was a long day but a good day.
Chris and I woke up around 5:45 am to get everything staged and ready
for the movers. Around 6:30 am, the doorbell rang. It was a police
officer. He proceeded to tell us that he had picked up this nice kid in
Pelham early this morning. The nice kid, Walter, said that he was
supposed to help us with our move today. It was his first day on the job
with his moving company, Bellhops, and he was training today.
CEO of Bellhops Gifts Car to Employee Who Walked 20 Miles to Work
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. He
walked all night to get from Homewood to Pelham because he needed to get
to work.” Jenny was so awed by Walter’s determination to get to his job
that she started a GoFundMe account to raise the money he needed to
repair his car.
The target was set at two thousand dollars, but when netizens read
Jenny’s heartfelt post, the original amount was exceeded by a whopping
thirty-two thousand dollars. But soon after that, Walter’s action got
the attention of Bellhop’s CEO, Luke Marklin. Marklin immediately got
into his Ford Escape and drove it from Tennessee to Homewood. On his
arrival, he presented a gobsmacked Walter with the keys. Walter couldn’t
believe his eyes. The CEO of Bellhops had just given him his own family
car. It was all too overwhelming, and Walter started to cry.
Community rallies behind man who walked 20 miles to work, inspiring thousands.
He’d never experienced such kindness before. As the whole community
rallied behind him and cheered him on, Walter’s exemplary behavior has
inspired thousands of people, and Jenny’s original Facebook post has
since garnered an astounding 2,000 shares and comments. One commenter
wrote, “I’m definitely really touched by his journey as well. It’s
impressive how we can give excuses to not do something, but there are
people like Walter who don’t like excuses and just do.” And another,
“Life is made of challenges. Walter passed the test. Gracious and humble
man.
I can’t imagine how many times on that lonely walk down 280 in the
middle of the night did he want to turn back? How many times did he
wonder if this was the best idea? How many times did he want to find a
place to sit or lie down and wait till morning when he could maybe get
somebody to pick him up and bring him back home? But he walked until he
got here.” Jenny wrote in awe.
#BeLikeWalter: Man’s Dedication to Walking 20 Miles to Work Inspires Social Media Movement
Walter’s dedication to his job has become a symbol of the
hard-working American, and the determination has even inspired a hashtag
movement titled #BeLikeWalter on social media. But Walter remains
humble and shrugs all the praise off, saying, “I just walked.” He
aspires to become a Marine one day, and he’s definitely proved to the
world that he can achieve anything he sets his mind to.
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