The customer and Kathleen, and the customer leaving with her smiley balloon. “I’ve been keeping balloons that I purchased from the dollar store in individual bags under my desk,” Kathleen says. “I try to put a smile on a special customer daily.”

Earlier this month, a customer came into the Cudahy branch in tears, telling branch manager Kathleen White that her husband had injured himself and would be unable to work for some time. The customer recalled that, on Kathleen’s advice, they’d included joint life and joint disability coverage when they took out their mortgage. Kathleen verified that was the case.

“She said, ‘So when my husband goes back to work, we then start to pay you back the money for paying our loan?'” Kathleen said. “I replied, ‘Nope — you do not pay the money back. The insurance company will continue to pay the loan minus the insurance premium, which you must continue to pay till he goes back to work.’”

Obviously, the customer was incredibly relieved and very grateful Kathleen had nudged them to take out that coverage. “She was so happy, and said we are saving them financially,” Kathleen said. She walked out with a smile on her face — and on the balloon Kathleen gave her.