A Tiffy Taffy Highlight Story: Sometimes there are tales that are just too good, too beautiful, or too unbelievable to keep locked away. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to enjoy again. They may make you smile or shed a tear, but they’re always meant to add a little positivity to your day. Enjoy!
Whether it’s the first day at the first job or your last, a steadfast work ethic is essential. We often hear about how the most successful people spent years toiling away at the ground level before they found success.
They gave it their all to finally become the best they can be at their job. This story is one exactly like that.
In the summer of 2018, 20-year-old Walter Carr had just gotten a job at Bellhops, an Alabama moving company. The first location he was assigned to was nearly 20 miles away from Carr’s Homewood home and he would have to arrive early in the morning.
But Carr’s First Job Would Not Be That Easy
Normally, the distance would not have mattered for Carr because he had a car. But, that is where the problem arose: it broke down. For many, this would have been a good enough excuse to skip out on the first day of the job. Or, at the very least, turn up late.
But Walter Carr was not one of them. The graduate from Birmingham College, seeing his predicament, set out on foot. Yes, you read correctly. The 20-year-old had no intention of turning up even a minute late at his first job.
He slept for only 4 hours the night before to have enough time to make the walk. Then he put on some trousers so that the long grass on his path would not be too much of a hindrance, and set out from his home at midnight.
By 4 AM, Carr had arrived at Pelham. Fortunately for Carr, he did not have to make the entire journey on foot. At Pelham, some police officers saw the boy and asked him what he was doing at that time of the night. According to USA Today Carr recalled what he told the officers: “It’s going to sound really crazy but I’m actually going to work.” [1] When Carr told them his story, they could only be amazed at his dedication to his job.
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The cops treated him to something at the nearest Whataburger, before taking him to a local church. They promised to give Carr a ride to the job so that he would make it in time. But Carr would not wait. When the officers came back, Carr was gone again! He had started walking again. So they searched for him, picked him up, and gave him a ride to Lamey’s home, where his job was.
The Next Big Surprise Was At The Job
Jenny Lamey, the owner of the home being moved, even posted on Facebook describing the incident which became incredibly viral in a short while. Here is how she came to know of Carr’s dedication:
“Around 6:30 a.m. 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 he was supposed to help us with our move today… You could tell how the officer told us this story that he had complete admiration for Walter and by my reaction he could tell I did too.”
But that wasn’t all. Carr was actually at his job site earlier than the scheduled time. So the Lamey’s talked with Carr while they waited for the actual crew to arrive.
Read: Man Gets Fired But Continues To Show Up To Work And Gets Paid For 4 More Years
When the crew saw Carr at the job site, they were grateful that the new recruit had even turned up, because apparently most did not. Then the Lamey’s told the crew the crazy story. Did you know what Walter had to say about his trek? “I walked.”
An Inspiration For All
Everyone who heard of Carr found him to be an inspiration. From the police to the clients, to anyone else that talked to him on the streets, everyone was impressed. Soon, the story reached the ears of Bellhops’ CEO Luke Marklin [3].
Then, Walter got a surprising but deserving reward for his dedication. Luke showed his gratitude for the employee by gifting him a car – Marlin’s own new 2014 Ford Escape. In an interview with Inside Edition, Marklin said that he believed the car would be much better used by Walter at his job than in his hands.
Proud to have encountered this young man. He certainly made an impact on us!#PelhamPD #belikewalter pic.twitter.com/d0zz0PMvnv
— Pelham Police Dept (@PelhamPoliceAL) July 16, 2018
When he received the gift, Walter could hardly hold back his tears. Walter and his mother originally lived in New Orleans. But Hurricane Katrina had forced them to relocate to Birmingham, where the Carrs were doing their best to make ends meet. The Lamey’s were also there at the presentation and talked about how much of an inspiration Walter was.
All he ever wanted was to get to his job and show his dedication. That was all the humble youngster had to say about his tremendous first day at his first job. I think it is safe to say that we can all take a page out of Walter’s story when it comes to work ethics. What do you think?
Keep Reading: Gas attendant who paid for woman’s fuel gets rewarded with 8 years of salary
Sources
- “Alabama college student walks almost 20 miles overnight to first day of work; CEO gives him his car” USA Today. July 17, 2018
- Facebook. Jenny Hayden Lamey.
- “After Man Walks 20 Miles for First Day of Work, He Is Surprised With Car From CEO.” Inside Edition. July 18, 2018
