NAZARETH, Pa. — When, on Feb. 17, parts of the Lehigh Valley were slammed with nearly a foot of snow, 18-year-old Wyatt Selzer sprang into action.
"Heard we will be getting some snow tonight! I'll be shoveling for free again," a Facebook post from the young man the morning of the storm read.
"If your driveway or sidewalk is in need of a clean-up, message me."
Grateful responses flowed in.
"Bless your heart," one comment read. "Your parents did an amazing job at raising such an amazing young man."
"We need more people like you these days."Facebook post about Wyatt Selzer
"We need more people like you these days," another read.
"I sure hope people are compensating you!" read one concerned resident's post, to which Wyatt replied, "Sometimes it happens."
Scrolling through the Borough of Nazareth, Pa. and Surrounding Communities Facebook group reveals many posts from Selzer with the same wording.
Each time snowflakes hit the ground, he's there, armed with a shovel and ready to help those in the community that need it most.
When he’s not shoveling snow, Selzer, who does not have a job, works as a volunteer firefighter at Vigilance Hose Company.
He also does such things as installing air conditioners for the elderly and surprising his big sister with ice cream.
“I don’t even think about it,” the soft-spoken teen said. “I just like helping out.”
Now it's Selzer who is getting some help.
'He walks everywhere'
When Wrenchtec, an automotive repair shop in Upper Nazareth Township, saw the extent to which Selzer was trying to help out his local community, it decided to return the favor.
“My marketing person had reached out to me and told me that she had been seeing posts from [Selzer] all over Facebook,” Dave Fiore, Wrenchtec's owner/operator said.
“I mean, who do you know that goes out of their way to help others without any sort of motive? So, we offered him a free oil change.”
But there was a catch. Selzer doesn’t have a car.
“If he doesn’t have a car, an oil change won’t really help him out. So how about $1,000 toward a new car?”Wrenchtec owner/operator Dave Fiore
“We all had a really nice chuckle about it,” recalled Jodi Getz, Selzer's mother. “He walks everywhere.”
It’s true: Whether it’s to the gym, to the firehouse or to a person in need’s home, Selzer doesn't have the assistance of a vehicle to help him get around — or a driver’s license, for that matter.
Selzer kindly replied to Wrenchtec via social media on Feb. 13.
“Hi, I am the one who’s been helping the community," he wrote. "I appreciate the offer, but sadly I do not own a car yet. I am currently saving up for one, but right now I am walking to all locations!”
That didn’t stop Fiore.
“If he doesn’t have a car, an oil change won’t really help him out,” Fiore said with a laugh. “So how about $1,000 toward a new car?”
'Going to do great things'
When Selzer visited Wrenchtec on Feb. 13, he was greeted with a handshake from Fiore and a check for $1,000.
At the same time, Fiore had been in talks with Bethlehem Ford, which agreed to give Selzer a $1,000 discount on a car when the time came to buy one.
“He was a sweet, down-to-earth kid,” Fiore said. “He’s going to do great things.”
“When I told him that Wrenchtec was going to give him $1,000, he didn’t believe me,” said Alexis Behler, Selzer's 22-year-old sister.
"I believe you now."Wyatt Selzer
“I believe you now,” Selzer replied.
Since then, after being in touch with his family and getting dozens of requests to donate from residents, Wrenchtec set up a Venmo account in Selzer’s name with all proceeds going toward the purchase of his new car.
Money can be transferred via Venmo to the username @Wyatt-Selzer. Checks in Wyatt’s name can also be mailed or dropped off at Wrenchtec: 20 E. Lawn Road, Nazareth, 18064.
Currently, there is no set goal for the Venmo account; any little bit helps, though.
When he gets behind the wheel, Selzer said, the first thing he wants to do is drive his mom, who's experienced a litany of health issues over the years to her doctor's appointments.
"And maybe take it to New York City," he, said, jokingly.
"You are not doing that," his mother shot back, with a smile.
