Teen Walking to Job Interview in Snow Lands Better Job, Support From Nation (VIDEO)
A teenager walking 10 miles in the snow to a job interview was rewarded for his labor with much more than just a job. Jhaquiel Reagan now has a secure job, a good salary, a bus pass, and the support of a Christian boss to help him through a difficult time.
"So while I'm outside putting down massive quantities of ice melt, a young kid walked through the parking lot headed west. He asked me how far it was to 10th and Sherman. I told him it was quite a way away. At least 6 or 7 miles. I suggested that he would be far better off on the bus than on foot, especially in all this ice and slush. He thanked me and continued on," read a Facebook post by "Papa" Art Bouvier.
A few minutes later, Bouvier took off in his own car and noticed that the young man was still walking. He pulled over and offered the young man, Reagan, a ride to his job interview at a thrift shop.
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"Jhaquiel was walking from 42nd and Post to an interview at 10th and Sherman. For a potential (but not guaranteed) minimum-wage job. In this weather. Walking, because he couldn't afford the bus," Bouvier wrote.
He and Reagan discussed his situation, and Bouvier learned that Reagan was currently unemployed and had not even eaten that day. His mother had died two years earlier and Reagan was the sole provider for his siblings. Bouvier treated him to lunch at the local Dairy Queen before dropping him off at his interview.
Bouvier also told Reagan that he would see what he could do about finding him a position at his restaurant, Papa Roux Cajun Cooking. Later that day, Bouvier called Reagan to offer him a full-time position at double the minimum wage.
"He told me about it, and I was just so surprise, awe-struck," Reagan told WISHTV.com. "Thank you very much; I appreciate it," he said upon accepting Bouvier's offer.
Reagan's story has caught the media's attention thanks to Bouvier's Facebook post. He now has a following of supporters and well-wishers, which is something he's not used to.
"It's crazy. I don't even know. It's really crazy," Reagan told Fox News. "My heart's just racing right now. I'm just too excited, just excited to start."
Numerous people offered to buy Reagan a bus pass so he wouldn't have to worry about the weather, but a representative from IndyGo took care of that and provided him with a one year bus pass, according to Fox News.
Numerous people have praised Bouvier's actions, calling him a "wonderful example of what being a Christian is all about." Others have said that they are planning to buy Visa gift cards to help Reagan and his siblings through this hard time.
And just to prove that good deeds do not go unnoticed, Bouvier previously told TheBlaze.com that he wasn't sure he would be able to hire Reagan due to a lack of business. Yet since hiring the young man, and his story going viral, Papa Roux has seen a great increase in business.
Right now the Facebook story has more than 14,000 likes and thousands of endorsement for the restaurant.
Watch an interview with Reagan here:
