Business employee goes extra mile to put smile on 4-year-old

Dear editor:

I would like to just take a moment to praise one of our citizens, Alauna from the Sunset C Store! I am not quite sure of Alauna's last name.

Allow me to give you some background. My son, Raven, absolutely loves going to the Dinosaur Store (Sunset C Store on Highway 30) to see his dinosaur friend and to see Alauna! Raven is 4 years old and we would stop by the C Store almost every Tuesday and Thursday after picking him up from Discovery Preschool. Raven would always get his M&Ms and Bug Juice and we got to know Alauna from our visits. She is just fantastic!

This past March, Alauna knew that Raven was going to be celebrating his 4th birthday and knew we would be stopping by for his M&Ms and Bug Juice. Alauna drew a big birthday cake with 4 candies saying 'Happy Birthday Raven!' on the door of the C Store for my son! WOW! She made my son feel so proud and happy!

We continue going to see Alauna and his dinosaur friend very often and Raven runs to give Alauna a big hug. Just last week, Raven wanted to be a big boy and go into the store all by himself. I gave him a $5 bill and watched from directly outside the door. Raven went into the store to purchase his usual and Alauna took care of him just as she always has. Where else can you send a 4-year-old boy into a store with money all by himself? Not many places, especially in today's society.

It is such an awesome feeling to be able to trust a business and the employees inside to be honest and caring. Thank you Alauna for all you have done for my son and for Mountain Home.

Kelly A. Janis