Pay It Forward - Bundle of Joy

12/2/2018 11:00:00 AM

“When you hit a point in your life where there’s a fork in the road and you’ve been dealt some cards you didn’t think you ever wanted to be dealt, it’s good to feel the love from people.” – Melissa Deike, VP/Cash Management

Working with business owners day-to-day, Melissa knew the uphill battle Brian, a small business owner, would endure when his daughter was born prematurely. That’s why she donated her Pay It Forward funds to help lighten the load.

Bell Employees
Melissa Deike, VP/treasury management Bloomington

Recipient

TheDeKuiper family

The Need

Due to an early labor, Brian DeKuiper’s daughter was born prematurely and spent her first 4 to 6 weeks of life in the NICU. Since Brian was self-employed – with 3 kids under 4 years old – his daughter’s condition only added to the stress. When she heard the news, Melissa Deike wanted to help, having previously worked out at the gym Brian owns. “I work with business owners on a regular basis as part of my job, so I understand from his perspective how hard it is if he’s not working,” Melissa says.“If he’s not at that gym, he doesn’t have income coming in.”

The Impact

Luckily, Melissa was able to donate her Pay It Forward funds. Together the Deike family visited Brian at his gym.

“Lo and behold, he was in the middle of a fitness class, so we didn’t have a lot of time to talk, but we left him with a gift bag of goodies and the check,” Melissa says.

While Melissa’s family might have tried to help even without Pay It Forward funds, she says that benefit allowed them to give more generously than they could have ever imagined.

“When you hit a point in your life where there’s a fork in the road and you’ve been dealt some cards you didn’t think you ever wanted to be dealt, it’s good to feel the love from people. I just hope Brian and his family felt that from everybody in the community.”