Jared Kemp – a volunteer for nonprofit group N Arms Reach, which raises funds by operating a Delaware North Sportservice concessions outlet at Turner Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves – planned on enjoying some cotton candy after work on May 6. But when he came across Katie Krupel and her 5-year-old daughter, Karoline, Kemp became less concerned with satisfying his own sweet tooth and shifted his focus to creating a memorable experience.
Below is a message that was sent from Krupel to the Delaware North Facebook account, recalling in detail how Kemp – who was formally trained in GuestPath®, Delaware North’s customer service and continuous improvement process – went above and beyond to make Karoline’s first major-league game one to remember.
I would like to highlight one of your employees that works at Turner Field at the Braves concession stands. It was late in the game (eighth inning) when I realized that I had promised my 5-year-old daughter
a bag of cotton candy. And we had yet to get one.
You see – it was her first major league game, and all she had wanted was a bag of cotton candy to eat and watch with. So we raced around trying to find a vendor that had just one bag left. All I was getting was “no” – everyone was out.
Then we told our story to Jared, an employee. He said very apologetically that he thought that they were all done with that for tonight. Knowing that this little girl was so hopeful to find some, he motioned to another employee to go get his unopened bag he had them hold onto in the back that he had purchased earlier. I offered to pay him, but he refused and said to just take it and enjoy.
I am writing this long note to let you know, that however small of a deal cotton candy is to most of us – it was a big deal for him and for my daughter. I could tell he had been waiting all night to have his bag of cotton candy. But, he gave it to us so freely and with such a giving spirit of service. That small – yet large – act of kindness was what made my daughter’s night so sweet! The cotton candy was just the icing on the cake. To Jared: We thank him so much. And to your company: I applaud you in employing such wonderful, kind and genuinely giving people!
