Madison Dalton, 11, remembers her mother stopping by 7-Eleven to buy her a drink to cheer her up after having a bad day. Not only did the clerk help her with the soda pop, he also gave them a discount on chips and candy to help make her day better.

“He was so nice that I felt he should be acknowledged for wanting to help me,” Madison said. “It’s the little things that are so meaningful, and if I can write a letter to show how much I appreciated it, then he could get recognized for his efforts too.”

Madison wrote her letter to the local 7-Eleven on Nov. 17 in hopes that it would reach the store before Thanksgiving, so the clerk and his supervisor would realize that she was grateful for his care and service. Her letter was one of a classroom of letters that were being sent to local businesses by Liberty sixth-grade students.

Cameron Wright, 12, remembers a Big 5 clerk who helped him with his purchase.

“I went to the register with a $20 bill, but learned it cost $26,” he said. “Most cashiers would have told me just to put something back, but she looked through all the unused coupons until it brought it down to $21, and she put in the extra dollar for me. She didn’t need to do that, but she really cares about her customers.”

Although Cameron paid her back, and gave her an extra $1, he was excited when he learned his teacher Judy Mahoskey wanted each student to write a note to a supervisor, thanking someone in the community for their customer service.

“If I could write her manager and tell him how much she cared, maybe he would realize that she has this great attitude and wants to help people, and even give her a promotion. If we all can do something nice and show respect, then we can build people up to a higher level,” Cameron said.

Mahoskey said that although students are learning how to write business letters and are writing to a different audience, she hopes that they learn to notice positive behaviors.

“I hope they get in the habit of noticing the good in people and learn to let them feel appreciated,” she said. “It’s part of their responsibility to make the world a better place.”

Mahoskey said she got the idea 20 years ago when, after receiving excellent customer service at Applebee’s, she wrote to the manager.

“I had an awesome waiter and realized not a lot of people ever say good things about their service, so I decided right then to write a letter. The next time I saw the waiter, he told me he received the letter and it made him so happy,” she said. “Another time, I called up McDonald’s and told them I had the best service, and they were surprised when I didn’t have a complaint. These compliments we can offer give a lot of happiness. I hope these students learn that lesson.”