AVON, Ind. – An injured teen’s dedication to his job inspired a customer who stopped at an Indiana Chick-fil-A recently to post a photo of the young man on social media.
Cameron Nelson wrote on Facebook that he had decided to go inside the restaurant because the drive-thru line was too long. When he walked in, he saw employee Jakeem Tyler – still at work even though he was wearing a neck brace and sling.
His dedication to his job heartened Nelson, who posted about the experience on Facebook last Thursday.
“We sneeze too hard and decide to call in, but he's working like nothing's wrong,” Nelson wrote in a Facebook post that also included a photo of Tyler.
Nelson found out that Tyler had been injured in a car accident. However, he was at work because he needed the money – but not just for himself, according to Nelson.
"He did not want to let his team down by just calling in and not showing up but he also wanted to use the money for Christmas presents and to be able to feed the homeless with it as well," said Nelson.
Nelson has since created a GoFundMe page for Tyler.
“I wanted to create this GoFundMe page to help him along in his mission and show some support,” Nelson wrote on the GoFundMe website.
Nelson set a goal of $2,500. As of this writing, the GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $9,000 to fund Jakeem's plan to buy food and supplies for Homeless Hoosiers, an idea that Jakeem's parents say he has been working towards for months.
"They spoke extremely highly of him throughout the conversation and say he has been dedicated to helping people and is an overall standup individual," said Nelson.
WXIN reached out to Chick-fil-A in Avon about the viral post and received this statement:
"Jakeem is a phenomenal young man and an outstanding team member. He is an inspiration both in terms of his work ethic and commitment to serving others. Although he was in a car accident recently, he returned to work after being cleared by his doctor and with the support of his family so he could not only serve alongside his team in the restaurant but also earn money to give back to others. We are beyond proud of Jakeem and support his efforts to serve the homeless in our community. In regards to the money being donated on his behalf: Jakeem is grateful for the support of the community. How he decides to utilize the money is up to Jakeem and his parents."
