How Starbucks workers rallied to help one of their own
KAREN Collinsworth’s car was already on its last legs. Then a thief crawled underneath it and stole her catalytic converter - a part that can fetch hundreds of dollars on the black market.
To make matters worse, someone targeted her 2004 Kia Amanti again a few weeks later, rifling through the inside and stealing some loose change in July. While she saved up for a replacement car, she drove the rattletrap to work and back only. She knew she was trying her luck and needed a reliable car.
“I kept pushing it off,” said Collinsworth, 65, who has worked for 13 years as a barista and supervisor at a Starbucks in Huntington, West Virginia, on the Marshall University campus.
She told her colleagues - most of whom are students at the school - about her car problems. Her co-workers, who for years have known Collinsworth as an unofficial mentor and mother to countless students, wanted to help.
“Us baristas were talking, and we decided it would be amazing to try to get Karen a reliable vehicle,” said Jaiden Horn, 19, who has worked at Starbucks for about a year and is a sophomore at Marshall University.
She and other Starbucks baristas started a GoFundMe campaign for Collinsworth on Aug 26 called “We love you Karen.”
They hoped to raise a few thousand dollars for Collinsworth, who remembers not only her customers orders but also their names and sometimes even which classes they are taking. She’s often in the stands cheering them on at sports games. They posted the campaign all over social media.
Within the week, the baristas were astonished to see how much Collinsworth mattered to people near and far. More than $40,000 poured in, including many $5 and $10 donations.
“It just skyrocketed,” said Madelyn Witt, 20, a Starbucks barista in her junior year at Marshall University. “It makes me so happy. She deserves the world.”
The overwhelming response to the campaign, she said, is due to “the amount of people she has touched throughout her entire life.”
Collinsworth has worked in the hospitality industry since 1978. Before starting at Starbucks, she waited tables at a local restaurant for 26 years.
“I always want somebody to have an experience wherever I work,” said Collinsworth, who has one daughter. “To me, it’s just so much fun making people happy.”
“I’m always throwing out compliments,” she added. “And I always mean them.”
More than 1,200 people have donated to the GoFundMe including the Marshall University president, who contributed $5,000. There are also dozens of comments on the campaign and social media.
“We’ve known Karen for years,” wrote one person who contributed $50 to the campaign.
“. . . She always took care of us. She ‘mothered’ Lauren and Kelly while they worked at Starbucks. She’s an angel!”
“Karen always made me smile when I came into Starbucks everyday! She knew my name and my order by heart,” another person wrote. “She really cared about everyone who came through the doors.”
“Karen saw me through grad school with a huge smile on her face every day. I hope she knows the impact that her presence made on so many people,” someone else commented. “It’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve seen her but I still remember her fondly!”
Collinsworth said she can’t find the words to express her gratitude for everyone who showed their support - especially her fellow baristas.
“This is more than a ‘thank you,’” she said. “The words are there, but I can’t say them. They’re in my heart.”
While she has always enjoyed working at restaurants, Collinsworth said, her job at Starbucks has been the most rewarding.
“These kids make me feel good. They make my day every day,” she said. “I love them so much.” The warm feelings are mutual. “From the moment you come in contact with her, you’re like family,” said Horn. “She treats everyone with so much love.”
Horn and her fellow baristas said watching Collinsworth interact with people - including sleep-deprived students in the early morning hours - has been eye-opening.
“She has made me realize that just being kind to somebody can really change their entire day,” Horn said.
On Sept 4, Horn and several of her Starbucks colleagues took Collinsworth out for dinner to celebrate the success of the GoFundMe campaign.
“I feel like it’s not real,” said Collinsworth, adding that she is planning to use the funds to buy a Subaru SUV. “This means the world to me.”
While it will be nice to finally have a functioning vehicle, she said, she is far more touched by how much her community cares about her.
“They did this out of love,” Collinsworth said. “I’m very lucky.”