It’s hard for some people to find a job these days. Those who are lucky enough to get one should value the opportunity. They should strive hard to be better at what they do.
20-year-old Donte Franklin works at Buffalo Wild Wings as a cook.
His work means a lot to him. Even though it’s hard, he doesn’t give up or take it for granted.
Donte’s work is on the other side of town.
Because of that, he has to leave his home about three hours before his actual shift. He doesn’t always have a ride to get to work. As a result, he has to walk 17 miles every single day.
In an interview with KOKH, he shared:
“I really don’t care if it gets tiring, I just have to keep pushing.”
He wants to make his mom proud.
Donte’s mom passed away from hepatitis C when he was just 16 years old. Even though she’s gone, he continues to work hard to make her proud.
Even though he walks every day to work, he hasn’t missed a shift at all.
In fact, he’s never been late. That’s how important his job is to him.
One day, a stranger saw him walking in the intense Oklahoma heat.
Knowing how difficult it must have been for the young man, Michael Lynn decided to stop and offer Donte a ride. During their trip, the two got to talk about Donte’s life. He couldn’t believe what he goes through every day just to get to work.
Michael was impressed by the young man’s dedication.
Wanting to help, he shared his story on Facebook and it quickly went viral.
Kerri Collins, the administrator of My Riding Buddies Oklahoma, was one of the people who heard about his story. Touched by Donte’s dedication, she quickly reached out to help him.
She shared with KOCO 5 News:
“Anytime I see something posted concerning anybody anywhere in Oklahoma, I immediately jump in and we do whatever we can do as a group. It just touched me that this man is only 20 years old and is walking to two different jobs with nothing in the heat.”
The group donated a brand new bike to Donte.
The young man was super thankful for the kind gesture. He even considered it a huge blessing.
Like Kerri, tons of other people were amazed at Donte’s determination to make his mom proud.
One YouTube user said:
“What a wonderful young man, as the lady said, people his age just don’t do what he’s doing. He will go far. I’m also glad he found a mentor. God bless those who helped him help himself.”
Michael’s kindness didn’t end there.
He also started a GoFundMe page to help buy a car for Donte. He believes that the man deserves it since he’s always finding a way to help the community. Apart from working, he is also studying to become a welder.
In the end, over $53,000 was raised for Donte!
A very grateful Donte told KOKH:
“I wasn’t expecting it, but really it was a true blessing he gave me a ride.”
Watch the video below to see Donte be surprised with the new bicycle. There really are a lot of kind people out there!
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