Have you ever seen something so wrong that you couldn’t rest until it was made right?
For Lavonda Wright Myers of Powder Springs, Georgia, the answer is yes. She and her son were going out for dinner one night when her son spotted someone he knew from school jogging down the side of the road.
Jayden Sutton is a senior at Cobb County High School who holds down a 40-hour job at a nearby restaurant. Every weekday, he works from right after school until about 10:30 p.m. Because he doesn’t have a car, the teen has to walk 5 miles both to and from work, so sometimes he doesn’t get home until after midnight.
On the night Lavonda pulled over to check on him, Jayden was rushing because he was worried he’d be late. Lavonda gave him a ride, and when she found out what he went through each day working to earn enough to buy a car, her heart broke for him.
“I knew if I had to walk to work every day to get a car that’s what I was going to do,” the dedicated teen said. “If I had to walk home then that’s what I was going to do.”
Inspired, Lavonda started a GoFundMe to raise money for him. “This child needs to be recognized, blessed, and provided with transportation,” she wrote.
Thanks to her tireless efforts, their community brought in over $10,000! Not only that, but Lavonda also convinced the general manager of the Nalley Honda dealership in Union City to lower the price on one of their cars. When the deal was completed, Lavonda surprised Jayden with his new wheels. To say he was excited is an understatement!
“Let me say this is your car!” she called out to Jayden. As for the teen, he happily got into the driver’s seat and told her, “I just want to say thank you. A million times. You don’t understand how much.”
It turns out that Jayden’s mother had recently lost her car, too, so the new vehicle came at the perfect time.
Jayden is so grateful for Lavonda’s help. “I love her for it,” he said. “I just want to thank her so much. I don’t know how to say thank you.”
The young man also learned an important lesson about working hard and being recognized for that effort. “If you’re doing something good or trying to reach a goal, keep doing it. You might get some help,” he said. “That’s what happened to me.”
No more 10-mile roundtrip walks for this teen! Lavonda proved that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Way to go, mama!
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