(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A Colorado Springs man who once grappled with homelessness found redemption with the help of a local coffee shop manager. It began with an act of generosity and has now inspired the community to come together and pay it forward.
The moral of their story is that kindness is contagious, proven by a Facebook post that garnered more than 1,100 reactions and a heartwarming response in the community.
Last week, Leeann Stickler, the manager of Scooter’s Coffee Shop on 8th Street in Colorado Springs, found herself at the center of an unexpected outpouring of kindness. Her Thursday began with a typical rush hour shift, when a woman left her a small gift bag.
“Inside was just some candy and a little card saying, ‘Your kindness doesn’t go unnoticed,'” Stickler recounted, her voice shaking with emotion and tears glistening in her eyes. She smiled. “I was so touched.”
Unbeknownst to Stickler, this gesture was just the beginning of numerous unexpected phone calls, drop-ins, and gifts from strangers, all echoing the same message of appreciation. Little did she realize, it was her own acts of kindness that were now coming full circle.
That same Thursday, Nickolas James took to social media, asking the community to either stop by or call Scooter’s Coffee Shop and ask for the manager.
“Tell her hi, maybe shake her hand, and just tell her ‘I have heard great things about you’ or something nice like that,” the post stated.
In the post, James shared the story of his struggles last year in July, when he was living in his car with his dog. As he thought his life could not get worse, he recounted the night when his car tires were slashed and there was nowhere to turn.
But, rock bottom had a silver lining. After no one else responded, James called Stickler, who was just a friend of a friend at that point.
“It was probably 10:30 at night and she was already in bed and she drove me home and offered me a place to stay,” said James.
At this point, James and Stickler were just friends, but she allowed him to stay at her house, rent-free. Stickler revealed that her motivation to help James stemmed from her own experience when someone else helped her during difficult times.
“I couldn’t leave him and his dog in the car. I couldn’t leave anybody with that… I was just paying it forward… I was helped many years ago… I had no electricity for three months and someone stepped up,” Stickler recalled.
James said it took months for him to find a job, and despite facing numerous rejections, he submitted 83 applications and resumes on Indeed. Eventually, he landed a job as a household cleaner, but it wasn’t the position he hoped for.
Even though it meant continuing to provide for him financially, Stickler encouraged him to hold out for the job he truly felt happy working in. Being deeply passionate about her own work, Stickler emphasized her desire for James to work in a job that was fulfilling for him.
“She gave me money to spend on my family for Christmas and even put me on her car insurance so I could use her vehicle. She never asks anything from me and never makes me feel I’m taking from her. I’m not sure where I would be without her,” said James.
James is now doing what he loves as a Plant Operations Manager for several buildings in and around Colorado Springs. He attributes his success to Stickler’s encouragement and steadfast belief in his potential.
“I worked hard for that, but I think she worked harder,” James confessed, his voice filled with gratitude.
Now that Stickler knows who was behind the seemingly random acts of outpouring kindness, she hopes others think to pay it forward too.
“Sometimes you really need to hear some of those kind words. We don’t hear enough kindness,” said Stickler.
James’ company gave him his own pickup truck, and he says he is now in the process of buying a home. Both Stickler and James are still overwhelmed by the amount of support they have received from the community, both still trying to comprehend the ongoing support they are still receiving from the Facebook post.
