When Andy Mitchell spotted a young man in a fast food uniform walking along the side of a road on a 95-degree summer day in Rockwall, Texas, he felt compelled to pull over.
He rolled down his window and offered the man, a 20-year-old named Justin Korva, a ride -- not knowing how much that small gesture would impact the man's life.
While driving the Korva to work at Taco Casa, Mitchell discovered the young man normally walked 3 miles to work and home again every day. Korva said he was determined to save up money and someday, he hoped, he would be able to afford a car.
After dropping off Korva, Mitchell posted about the man's determination on Facebook.
"To all the people that say they want to work but can't find a job or don't have a vehicle all I can say is you don't want it bad enough," Mitchell wrote.
Andy Mitchell takes a selfie with Justin Korva, after offering the Rockwall, Texas, resident a ride to work on a hot summer day.
FACEBOOK/ANDY MITCHELL
Hundreds of people in the community saw his post, including Samee Dowlatshahi, owner of Samee's Pizza Getti Italian Bistro & Lounge in Rockwell.
Dowlatshahi offered to put a donation box inside his pizza joint to aid Korva in his quest to buy a car.
In less than 48 hours, with some help from Mitchell, they'd raised more than $5,500.
That's when Danny Rawls, general sales manager at Toyota of Rockwall and a friend of Dowlatshahi, heard Korva's inspiring story.
"I presented it to my general manager and said, 'Hey, let's help the kid. It seems like a great story,'" Rawls told CBS News.
His boss agreed, and the pair reduced the price on a 2004 Toyota Camry that was available.
"I sent [Dowlatshahi] a private message and said, 'Give me a call. I have a nice car that would work for the kid,'" Rawls explained.
Not only did they have enough money to buy the car, they had enough left over to pay for his insurance for a year, plus two years' worth of oil changes and a $500 gas card.
Last Friday, they drove the white 2004 Camry to Taco Casa and asked Korva to come outside.
"Justin, you can't imagine all the people who wanted to help you," Mitchell said, as several people filmed the exchange on their cellphones in the restaurant parking lot. "So, instead of walking to work, buddy, you're driving this car from now on."
Korva looked at Mitchell in disbelief, "Are you serious?"
"It's your car! This is your car," Mitchell repeated.
Justin Korva poses for a picture after getting keys to a 2004 Toyota Camry outside of his work in Rockwall, Texas.
FACEBOOK
Korva gave each man a hug, wiping tears from his eyes as he walked toward the car.
"We just want you to know, seriously, this community, nothing we love better than to have someone who works hard," Dowlatshahi said. "We take a lot of pride in that. It's so hot out here, I can't believe you walk even one mile in this heat."
Later that day, Rawls helped Korva complete the paperwork on the car and put the title in his name.
"Surreal" is the only word Rawls could use to describe the moment he watched Korva walk away with the keys.
"He's a very humble young man and accepted it with stride," Rawls said. "There couldn't have been more of a deserving individual, for sure."
Stories like this is a heluva lot better than anything involving politics. But dammit, Carl. Leave the onions alone and stop peeling them, so that I can see what I'm reading.
What is truly inspiring about this story is that even if the 20 year old had saved up enough money to buy a car it would not have been a $5k car - it would have been a $800 beater, and it would have nickle-and-dimed him, been unreliable, and costly for as long as he owned it. This is a gift that he's going to literally remember for his entire life.
Oh my God, I cant begin to tell you how excited I am for this young man to experience the presence of LOVE and KINDNESS, with all the crazy negative things we see in this wordily world between nationalities. To have been able to catch this article, brought tears of JOY! I can only image how he feels, God bless AMERICA's loving and kind people. Signed, A Latina living in AZ.
this story made me tear up...both for the grateful hardworking young man, all the good people who made this happen, and too, for all the ones who need the same, a group of which i am a part. sometimes people are trapped at home in the deep country or other ways, so they can't be seen. but paying it forward is one of the only parts of modern life now that are saving grace. i wish the young man many happy years of driving that car, and working hard for his goals.
That is a wonderful story... he was a determine young man and walked each way to and from work. Now you have some really lazy people that don't get off their butts to look for work and expect other working class people to support them. This story should inspire others.
I can look out my window and see a house with four generations of welfare recipients, none work, and wouldn't move muscle if a snake was going to bite them. All of them mooch off the elderly widowed home owner. It's refreshing to see somebody put fourth some serious effort to pull their own weight and work despite the fact they had to walk considerable distances in all kinds of weather just to go to work. Hats off to this guy.
I need to move to Texas!! I walk 4mi to and from work every day and I'm 8mo. pregnant. It's not as hot up here in Michigan but that's cool how people can make a huge difference in other people lives. Not everyone wants/expects a handout.
You should I be to Texas. I bet you live in a "liberal" part of Michigan, too. Most of Texas prizes hard working people. If I knew who you were and, if your story is true, I would donate. I just did that in a visit to a prison, too. A nice young woman, 30 years old, 2 children, was visiting her husband. She works six days a week, two jobs. Daycare and janitorial. Smart, too. Her dream is go to school and become a nurse. I wanted to make that happen.
