We are constantly besieged with negative news every day, but we should also see stories of how amazing people are. The compassion, humanity, and generosity shown by employees at the UPS Distribution Center in Oxford, Alabama should be celebrated.
A year and a half ago, 19-year-old Derrick Taylor started working at the UPS freight center to support his sick mother. With hospital bills adding up there was no spare money for Taylor to buy a car so he walked five miles to and from work every day. Coworkers would give him rides whenever they could, but most days he had to walk 10 miles. Coworkers were impressed by his strong work ethic for his job that started at 4 a.m. and believed he shouldn’t have to walk all that way after busting his ass at work.
Taylor’s co-workers secretly raised $1,100 and bought him a used 1990s-model Jeep Cherokee Classic. At the end of a shift, they presented Taylor his new ride. He was overcome with emotions and reduced to tears.
“Man, it’s been a roller coaster with all the attention, tied with family problems,” Taylor said. “But I feel blessed beyond so many measures so it’s been great.”
“I was overwhelmed with joy,” he told the Daily Mail. “No one had ever done anything like that for me so it made me cry and I’m not really the type to show my emotions.”
“This is a hard-working young man. He makes me emotional. This young man wants to work so bad, he walks to work from way out of town,” said James Williams, Taylor’s safety instructor. “The group here, we’ve got some good news for you. Everybody came together and you don’t have to walk no more. You’ve got your own ride. We want you to know we appreciate your hard work.”
More stories like this please.
[AL.com]