College Student's Car Breaks Down Right Before His First Day Of Work, So He Walked 20 Miles

Mustafa Gatollari - Author
By

UPDATED Jul. 17 2018, 1:22 p.m. ET

PUBLISHED Jul. 17 2018, 12:05 p.m. ET

cover walter carr
Source: twitter

It's going to sound like a hackneyed saying, and yes, it's definitely the opening line of "Hanging Tough," but when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

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If you're really looking to get something done, then the last thing you're looking for is an excuse to back out. Instead, you're looking for every excuse to actually make it happen. And even if you fail in making it happen, you're going to feel pretty darn good that you did everything in your power to accomplish your goals.

It's the reason why Rocky affected so many people, even though [spoiler alert] Apollo Creed beats him at the end, he left his heart out in the ring and played out love to the highest degree with Adrian. The dude is a champion.

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It's very easy to quit whenever something becomes mildly inconvenient, which will get people to just roll their eyes at you, like if you promised your friend you'd wait in line for the new Yeezy's, but it's raining so you bail. Not cool.

But then there are some reasons to quit that are a bit more legitimate: Like your car breaking down the day before you start a new job that's 20 miles away, leaving you with no conceivable other way of getting there. 

Well you could always just walk, but that would be crazy, right?

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Not if you're this young college student who really, really wanted a job.

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The night before Carr was supposed to start his first day of work at the Bellhops moving company, his car had broken down. He couldn't get a ride on such short notice and he wanted to make a good impression. No employer is probably going to believe that your car isn't working all of a sudden, and even if they do, you're going to be on their crap list from day one.

Carr probably knew this, so he walked from Homewood to Pelham, Alabama all night to make it to work on time. It was a Friday.

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All it took was one weekend for Carr's dedication and grit to become the talk of the town, thanks to four Pelham officers and moving company clients who admired and praised Carr's work ethic.

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Word eventually got to Bellhops' CEO Luke Marklin, who drove from Tennessee to give a special thanks to Carr for his hard work.

Marklin told Carr that he was only meeting him with him for some coffee and to give him props for being such an awesome new employee. What Carr didn't expect was this super kind gesture from his new boss.

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Marklin handed Carr his personal 2014 Ford Escape with hardly any miles on it. For free.

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Although Carr was floored by Marklin's gift, it seems like the company CEO wanted to do everything he could to praise his new employee.

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"I am honestly blown away by him,'' Marklin said of Carr. "Everything he did that day is exactly who we are - heart and grit. So far, he's batting 1,000."

One of the clients who helped spread the word of Carr's good deed wrote about her experience working with the young man on Facebook. Her post went viral.

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In Lamey's post, she talks about the remarkable day she spent moving with Carr, and how he was dropped off by a police officer who discovered he had walked 20 miles to get there.

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Carr, a marine hopeful, told Lamey a bit about himself - how his family lost their home in Hurricane Katrina, how he knew the walk wasn't going to be a pleasant one so he dressed appropriately. The entire time, Walter refused to sit down and rest. He kept a happy demeanor and helped Lamey and her husband through their stressful moving time.

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This has left a huge impression on Lamey because, after seeing Carr's fortitude, she felt like she had no excuse to not be as energetic and upbeat as Carr and all the other young men who helped them to move that day.

"I just can't tell you how touched I was by Walter and his journey. He is humble and kind and cheerful and he had big dreams! He is hardworking and tough. 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 til morning when he could maybe get someone to come pick him up and bring him back home. But he walked until he got here! I am in total awe of this young man!"
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Lamey was so struck with Carr's personality that she started a GoFundMe to help him and his family out as a big thank you for making her moving experience so seamless and pleasant.

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Carr is now being commended as a role model in the Bellhops community. And after hearing all the praise from everyone who's interacted with him, it seems like a well-earned title.

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