Saturday, December 17, 2005
Being Nice Has Its (Fringe) Benefits
From The Columbian, Clark County, WA, @ www.columbian.com
Whole latte kindness goin' on
Friday, December 16, 2005
By JOSE PAUL CORONA, Columbian staff writer
Susan Rucker planned on walking out of Luciano's Coffee Shop with her usual drinks, two extra Irish cream lattes, on Tuesday morning.
But instead she walked out with a free trip to Las Vegas and tickets to see Celine Dion, courtesy of the shop's owner.
She didn't get them because she's a great tipper or because she won a contest. It was because she's a nice person.
"She's one of those people who gives and gives and gives and never gets in return," said Tom Boyd, Luciano's owner.
Boyd got the idea of sending Rucker to Sin City after he told her about a trip he had taken to Las Vegas. After telling her about his trip, Rucker said she wished she could get away.
"I've been trying for a long time to do something for her," Boyd said. He declined to say how much the gift is costing him.
Rucker, a fourth-grade teacher at Washington Elementary School in Vancouver, admits that she was "very shocked" by the gift.
"All I said was, 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!'" Rucker said Tuesday morning.
Employees at the coffee shop know Rucker well; she's a regular customer who believes in random acts of kindness.
Rucker usually stays in her car when getting her coffee every morning, but she went inside the coffee shop Tuesday at the urging of its employees.
When they said they had a gift for her, Rucker said she expected to get some free coffee, not a trip to Las Vegas.
Rucker has been going to Luciano's for the past 10 years, even before Boyd was the owner.
She said that two things have made her a loyal customer: great coffee and wonderful employees.
"They just make your day brighter," Rucker said of Luciano's employees.
Rucker said she goes there so often that she often spends more time with the employees there than she does with her own co-workers.
"It's pretty sad when the coffee people are your best friends," Rucker said jokingly.
Rather than paying with cash every time she's there, which is every morning, she pays ahead of time and buys a punch card. That makes her daily coffee purchase go quicker.
Rucker said she buys punch cards twice a month. Every time she does, she buys the person in line behind her some coffee.
She always thinks of others first, and that's why she deserved the trip to Vegas, a stay at Bally's and the concert tickets, said Boyd.
That, coupled with some recent family hardships, made Rucker even more deserving of the gift, Boyd said.
Recently, all during a short span of time, Rucker's husband suffered a stroke and her parents became ill, as did her sister.
While Rucker acknowledges the illnesses, it's not something she dwells on for more than a moment.
Things like that happen to everyone, she said.
Rucker may not believe that she deserves a trip, but Boyd and others do.
"She does go way beyond the call of duty," said Paula Colby, a secretary at Washington Elementary School.
Rucker is always giving her time to students, Colby said.
Former students visit her on a regular basis. The front office staff refers to them as her "fan club."
Rucker helps them with school projects, regularly visits students at home and does anything else she can, said Colby.
"It's just nice to see somebody get back things they deserve," she said.
Jose Paul Corona can be reached at 360-759-8038 or jose.corona@columbian.com.
Whole latte kindness goin' on
Friday, December 16, 2005
By JOSE PAUL CORONA, Columbian staff writer
Susan Rucker planned on walking out of Luciano's Coffee Shop with her usual drinks, two extra Irish cream lattes, on Tuesday morning.
But instead she walked out with a free trip to Las Vegas and tickets to see Celine Dion, courtesy of the shop's owner.
She didn't get them because she's a great tipper or because she won a contest. It was because she's a nice person.
"She's one of those people who gives and gives and gives and never gets in return," said Tom Boyd, Luciano's owner.
Boyd got the idea of sending Rucker to Sin City after he told her about a trip he had taken to Las Vegas. After telling her about his trip, Rucker said she wished she could get away.
"I've been trying for a long time to do something for her," Boyd said. He declined to say how much the gift is costing him.
Rucker, a fourth-grade teacher at Washington Elementary School in Vancouver, admits that she was "very shocked" by the gift.
"All I said was, 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!'" Rucker said Tuesday morning.
Employees at the coffee shop know Rucker well; she's a regular customer who believes in random acts of kindness.
Rucker usually stays in her car when getting her coffee every morning, but she went inside the coffee shop Tuesday at the urging of its employees.
When they said they had a gift for her, Rucker said she expected to get some free coffee, not a trip to Las Vegas.
Rucker has been going to Luciano's for the past 10 years, even before Boyd was the owner.
She said that two things have made her a loyal customer: great coffee and wonderful employees.
"They just make your day brighter," Rucker said of Luciano's employees.
Rucker said she goes there so often that she often spends more time with the employees there than she does with her own co-workers.
"It's pretty sad when the coffee people are your best friends," Rucker said jokingly.
Rather than paying with cash every time she's there, which is every morning, she pays ahead of time and buys a punch card. That makes her daily coffee purchase go quicker.
Rucker said she buys punch cards twice a month. Every time she does, she buys the person in line behind her some coffee.
She always thinks of others first, and that's why she deserved the trip to Vegas, a stay at Bally's and the concert tickets, said Boyd.
That, coupled with some recent family hardships, made Rucker even more deserving of the gift, Boyd said.
Recently, all during a short span of time, Rucker's husband suffered a stroke and her parents became ill, as did her sister.
While Rucker acknowledges the illnesses, it's not something she dwells on for more than a moment.
Things like that happen to everyone, she said.
Rucker may not believe that she deserves a trip, but Boyd and others do.
"She does go way beyond the call of duty," said Paula Colby, a secretary at Washington Elementary School.
Rucker is always giving her time to students, Colby said.
Former students visit her on a regular basis. The front office staff refers to them as her "fan club."
Rucker helps them with school projects, regularly visits students at home and does anything else she can, said Colby.
"It's just nice to see somebody get back things they deserve," she said.
Jose Paul Corona can be reached at 360-759-8038 or jose.corona@columbian.com.
