Homeless Teen Who Biked 6 Hours to College and Slept in a Tent Will Motivate You to Follow Your Dreams

Fred Barley was a homeless teen until the community heard his story and decided to help.

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Fred Barley, a 19-year-old homeless teen from Georgia, is an inspiration for anyone who thinks they can’t live out their dreams.

According to WSB-TV, Barley was determined to register for his second semester of college. He rode his little brother’s bike for six hours from Conyers to Barnsville carrying everything he owned in two duffel bags and two gallons of water. Although the Gordon State College campus dorms don’t open until August, he decided to wait it out by pitching a tent on campus. With nothing more than a box of cereal to eat, his plan was to stay there for a few weeks and look for work.

Officers responded to a report that someone was sleeping in a tent on campus. Instead of taking him into custody, the officers decided to hear his story.

Barley, who is a biology major with ambitions of attending medical school one day, explained his situation and told them he believed sleeping on campus was a lot safer than staying in his tent in Conyers. While the officers told him he couldn’t stay here, they were moved by his story and wanted to help. They took him to a local motel and paid for his first next two nights.

“The stuff that’s happening with police officers, I am black and he didn’t care what color I was. He just helped me, and that meant a lot,” Barley said.

Then more good fortune came. The officer’s wife posted the story on a Barnesville community Facebook page and hundreds of people stepped up to help Barley. One of those kindhearted people was Casey Blaney, who paid for him to stay in his room with the motel owner. The dorms are allowing him to move in early, too.

DB's Pizzeria, which is owned by Debbie Adamson, hired him on as a dishwasher.  She plans to teach him how to cook their pizza, and will work with his class schedule to keep him employed.  “I created a position for him before he walked in my door. I didn’t know his name. I didn’t know the color of his skin. I didn’t care. I’ve been there so I guess I had a soft spot for anyone who is that determined to succeed in life,” she said.

Barley’s story has touched a lot of people. There are folks who have donated clothes, school supplies, and a new bike, while others are working on getting him a car. A few people who have even promised to take care of his dental and medical needs. Blaney went the extra mile to create a Success for Fred Facebook page and a GoFundMe page that has since raised about $83,000, which surpassed the $80,000 goal.

Despite everyone’s good will, Barley is just extremely grateful he has these people in his life now.

“Some of the gifts aren’t as important as the friends I’ve made. More important than everything—the clothes, the shoes—the relationships mean so much more to me,” he said.

Barley’s story just shows you really can achieve anything you set your mind to.

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