Jourdan walked fours hours to work, until a police officer offered him a ride—and changed his life!

Jourdan Duncan’s car was no longer drivable, so the 18-year-old spent four hours a day walking back and forth from work in the middle of the night! Then a police officer offered him a lift home —and Jourdan’s life changed forever!

“We rise by helping others!” Robert Ingersoll

It was nearly midnight when Police Corporal Kirk Keffer spotted the young man in the Benicia, California, industrial park, walking alone along the dark street.

Pulling up in his patrol car, Kirk—a 10-year veteran on the force—asked, “Did your car break down?”

“Yes, sir—months ago. That’s why I’m walking home to Vallejo. I just got off work,” 18-year-old Jourdan Duncan said.

Vallejo? That’s several miles away! Kirk thought, taken aback. “You’ll be walking half the night!” he remarked.

That’s for me? Jourdan asked, gazing at the new bike

“Yeah, it takes a couple of hours each way,” Jourdan admitted, and his good-natured shrug led the father of three to make an instant judgment call.

“Let me clear my front seat. I’ll give you a ride home,” he offered.

“Really? Thanks!” Jourdan beamed.

During the drive, Kirk learned Jourdan was working the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift packing nutritional supplements. He’d had a car when he was hired, but the engine had blown, and he couldn’t afford to replace it.

“I need to save every penny for college. I want to study criminal justice, maybe join the California Highway Patrol,” he explained.

Though he admired the young man’s pluck, Kirk was also concerned about Jourdan being out so late at night alone.

“Can’t your folks give you a ride?” he asked.

“Honestly, I don’t want to burden them with this. Mom works really hard, too, and my dad just had surgery,” Jourdan said.

When they finally reached Vallejo, Jourdan thanked Kirk for the ride.

“I’m just glad I could be of assistance,” Kirk replied. But he was already wondering: What about tomorrow night? And every night after that?

So at the end of duty, Kirk approached his sergeant. “This young man is going places,” he said confidently. “Think we can make the ride a bit smoother?” Several times a year, the department holds fundraisers. They’ve paid hotel bills for families living out of their cars, covered residents whose homes suffered storm damage and even installed wheelchair ramps for an elderly woman.

“I’ll see what I can do,” the sergeant said.

When Kirk arrived for his next shift, he got good news: “The board’s vote was unanimous!”

A few nights later, Kirk and several fellow officers drove a department SUV to Jourdan’s workplace and knocked on the door. “Can we speak to Jourdan?” he asked.

Seeing the police, Jourdan was baffled. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“Not at all,” Kirk insisted, and pointed to the reason for their visit: a brand-new $500 mountain bike!

There was also a helmet and brake light the bike shop owner added free of charge after hearing Jourdan’s story.

“That’s for me? Thank you!” Jourdan marveled.

“We want you to know your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed,” Kirk said.

That night, Jourdan pedaled home in record time. And the bike was just the beginning of Kirk’s mentorship: He and Jourdan speak every week to discuss how the new college freshman can keep up his grades and prepare for a career in law enforcement. Kirk also set up a Gofundme account for Jourdan’s college expenses—and donations have surpassed $46,000!

“How will I ever thank you enough?” Jordan gasped.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing!” Kirk high-fived him.

Sometimes, when he’s not in class or at work, Jourdan even goes on ride-alongs with Kirk. And when Kirk reached out to the State Highway Patrol, they were so impressed with Jourdan’s work ethic and determination that they offered to hold an Academy slot open for him once he turns 21!

“Officer Keffer is my hero! I feel very grateful and promise to show my appreciation by continuing to work hard and to someday smooth the ride for someone else,” Jourdan vows.

“That’s the attitude that made me want to help in the first place,” Kirk says. “Jourdan’s an all-around good kid. He deserves every success!”

It was girls’ night out with my sisters and our daughters.

As our group waited for a table in our favorite restaurant, we laughed at one another’s funny stories, then kept it up all through dinner. A man sitting at a nearby table must have overheard us and had a good time, too. As he was leaving, he dropped some cash on the table and said, “Enjoy your meal, ladies!” We all chimed in with our thanks. “Let’s add this to our tip and pass along the blessing!” I said, and everyone agreed. We left smiling at the happy surprise in store for our server! It was the perfect ending to a delightful evening!