Posted on 03/09/2017 11:26:10 AM PST by nickcarraway
A Plano man’s daily walk to work has received a lot of attention in Collin County this weekend.
Five days a week, Patrick walks the 15 miles from his Plano home to the Braum’s near U.S. 75 and U.S. 380 in McKinney where he works as the acting manager.
The walk typically takes him two-and-a-half to three hours.
But for Patrick, 52, it is simply a matter of commitment.
“You can’t keep your job if you don’t go to work,” he said. “I used to work at the Braum’s in Plano and I got transferred here because they needed help here. I said ‘OK,’ and my commitment to them was, I have to be at work so I’ll be at work, whatever it takes.”
Patrick said that a friend drops him off at home after work each night. He has been making the walk to work for the last seven months.
But over the weekend, Patrick’s stroll along the service road caught the eye of a McKinney Police officer, who stopped to ask if he needed help or a ride.
After taking Patrick to work and learning his story, Officer Branson asked if he could take a photo with him.
Officer Branson then shared the photo and the story on Facebook, writing, “My kids will know about Patrick, my grand kids will know about Patrick, everyone should know about Patrick.” The post garnered nearly 5,000 “likes” in just 24 hours. Patrick said his Braum’s location has been flooded with calls from people wanting to help. A woman even started a GoFundMe account for him, which raised more than $1,000 in one day.
“There is a lot of kindness in Collin County,” he said.
Patrick, who asked that his last name not be shared, said he didn’t want the spotlight, but he hopes his story will inspire younger generations.
“Commitment. You make a commitment to your job, to go to work everyday. They expect you to go to work everyday. No excuses," he said.
No excuses -- just a man leading by example, one step at a time.
On Monday afternoon, Braum's Spokesperson Amanda Beuchaw released the following statement to NBC 5 regarding Patrick:
The news story that was ran on the station over the weekend about one of our employees that works at the McKinney Braum's , Patrick, has been brought to our attention. Many viewers and customers have been reaching out to us because they are concerned that Patrick is having to walk so far to work.
When we were notified, we started looking into the matter with our management team in the area.
About a month ago, Patrick was offered a promotion that would move him from the Plano store to the McKinney store. He is a terrific, hard-working employee and we wanted to offer him the chance to advance in the company. During his interview for the new position, he was asked if he had reliable transportation and he informed the district manager that he did. We did not learn that he was walking to work until we saw the news story that ran this past weekend. We take the health and well-being of our employees seriously and we plan to address this with Patrick.
Thank you for highlighting how great of an employee that Patrick is for the company. We just wanted to address the public's concern, which we share also, and let everyone know that the situation is being evaluated.
Fifteen miles in 2.5 to 3 hours is between 5 and 6 miles per hour. That is a run, not a walk. 4 miles an hour is a very fast walk. Some of the facts look wrong here, especially if there are intersections etc.
He’s pulling down manager money, presumably full time, and he can’t afford a car or at least a bus pass? And no one working at that location will give him a ride? Sounds like either a personal PR stunt or he really, really likes to walk.
can’t afford a bike?
Sing us a song!
That’s “Plano” not “Piano”, LOL!
Yeah that is what raised my eyebrow too. 15 miles is more than a half marathon.
Sing us a song tonight.
WOW great story. Thank you for sharing.
Smart enough to be a manager but can’t find a good use bicycle for cheap or some other form of transportation.
Crap, just riding a $20 beach cruiser he got at a garage sale would cut his commute in less than half. Something stinks.
Agreed,
That’s hill country, I think.
Yeah cause that place looks like it pays a lot.
How out of touch some of us are.
And a 12 minute mile is nothing if you’re in good shape.
I used to walk and hour and a half from rock plaza to the ferry at night sometimes. And I was 5 11, 250 and it was a breeze.
This guy’s in good shape. If he like the walk maybe, good for him.
VERY easy to believe he can’t afford a car and insurance and maybe he doesn’t want a bike.
Leave it to some people here to find fault with the story.
Geez.
Keep an eye on his GoFundMe account (currently at $3760).
A similar stunt pulled by some poor guy in Detroit who walked to work netted nearly $200,000 after the news media picked it up.
We’re all in the mood for a melody
Something isn’t adding up here.
Is he supposedly walking 15 miles one way or round trip.
It takes about 2 hours to RUN a half marathon (13 miles)
I am not a runner but running a half marathon 5 days in a row every week, for months on end, seems like it would be nearly impossible?
DUI?
Dude, I guarantee you be could afford a bus pass or a cheap used bike. Besides, he’s spending 5-6 hrs/dy uncompensated. Even if he couldn’t pick up more hours from them he could deliver pizzas and come out ahead even with vehicle expenses in fewer hours per day. Telling you, there’s more here than meets the eye.
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