Jayden Sutton, 18, will be going to college soon and in preparation he’s been working hard to earn some money.
He’s also needed to save money for a car because one of his moms was recently laid off and her car was totaled, which left him without a way to get to work.
But after a series of unfortunate events, he was on the receiving end of not just one, but two acts of kindness.
“It was just life changing,” he said.
The 18-year-old from Powder Springs, Georgia had been saving to buy a car of his own after his family experienced some hardships.
Without a car he had to walk several miles to work.
One day, a classmate and their mother spotted Jayden walking to work in the pouring rain. They stopped and drove him the rest of the way. His classmate’s mother was inspired and started a GoFundMe to help the teen.
Along with some of her own money and money from the fundraiser, approximately $7,000 was raised for Jayden to put towards a car.
Things were starting to look up again.
But then he was involved in a hit-and-run. Jayden was okay, but his car was totaled, and suddenly he found himself back to walking to work.
“It sounds really bad but when you do it over and over again, you get used to it. It may sound crazy and so horrible to y’all, but walking that was just an everyday thing,” he said. “It was something that I needed to do to just make sure I succeed.”
However, his luck changed again, and it was for the better.
CarLotz heard about Jayden’s predicament and gifted him a car, and then as if that wasn’t a big enough surprise the vehicle marketplace partnered with The Kelly Clarkson Show and surprised the 18-year-old with $10,000 to put towards college.
When he learned about the money he said he started crying.
“It was just life changing. I think that all the stuff that I’m doing is finally paying off. I was working towards something. It made me feel like everything I was doing wasn’t for nothing,” he said of the acts of kindness.
The teen also had some advice for other teens who may feel like they’re stuck in a rut, even after working hard.
“You can’t expect for anything to change if you’re not making a change. So just keep working, keep doing what you are doing. If you feel like you are doing the right thing…One day, not today or tomorrow, but one day it’s going to pay off.”
Awesome advice, Jayden! You’re going to go far in life with that attitude.
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