Woman gifts car to teen who had to walk 7 miles to work each day

Teen surprised with car

A Cobb County teen was surprised with a car after a woman learned he was walking seven miles each day to work.

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - It was a heartfelt moment earlier Thursday evening after a woman surprised a deserving teen with a car.

"I knew if I had to walk to work every day to get a car that’s what I was going to do. If I had to walk home then that’s what I was going to do," Jayden Sutton said.

Walking is something all too familiar for Cobb County high school senior Jayden Sutton.

"When I get out of school around 3:30 I will go straight to work. I walk to work and I work six to eight hours and get off and walk straight home," Sutton said.

Day and night Sutton makes the seven-mile journey to his job at a restaurant hoping to save money and buy a car.

The high school student sometimes doesn’t get home until nearly midnight.

FOX 5 was there as the teen got a surprise of a lifetime.

"Let me say this is your car!" Lavonda Wright said.

It all happened thanks to the kindness of one woman.

"We aren’t going to lift my name up, we are going to lift His name up because it’s all about Him. We are in the middle of the pandemic and so many people are focused on what’s being torn down," Wright said referring to God.

Lavonda Wright has been working for weeks trying to make this happen.

Wright first met Jayden as he was racing down Brownsville Road in Powder Springs to get to work.

"He was walking really fast down the road and my son stopped me and tapped me and said I think that’s Jayden," Wright said.

Wright ended up taking Jayden to work that day but couldn’t get him off of her mind afterward.

Wright said she knew she had to do more.

Wright posted to social media and people started sending donations.

Ultimately, Wright created a GoFundMe and raised over $7,000.

Wright came across the Nalley Honda dealership in Union City where the general manager agreed to drop the price to fit the budget.

"I just want to say thank you. A million times. You don’t understand how much," Sutton said.

The hard worker had a message for those with a goal or a dream.

"If you’re doing something good or trying to reach a goal keep doing it. You might get some help. That’s what happened to me," Sutton said.

The gift came at a great time. Wright said Sutton’s mother recently lost her car and came into hard times.