LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Jan. 31, employees at the Lakeport Jitter Bean Coffee drive-through donated all their tips collected throughout the day to the fund set up to help the Dekeyser family with ongoing costs associated with their son Ronnie’s illness.

Ronnie succumbed recently after a long battle with brain cancer. Two of his interests were the Lakeport Police Department, where he was sworn in as an honorary officer on October 3, and local car racing.

The original idea for the donation effort came from Jitter Bean employee Kaleigh Sullivan, whose family has been involved with racing at the Lakeport Speedway for decades and where Sullivan herself enjoys racing on the track.

She had become familiar with the Dekeyser family and encouraged the other employees towards the effort, who thought it was a wonderful idea, and who were all thrilled and honored to take part.

The employees posted the fact that the day’s tips would be donated to the memorial fund on the drink special board, and many local customers were very generous “big tippers” that day for this most wonderful cause.

The tip jar held just under $243 at the end of the day, which was deposited in the “Team Ronnie” Fund set up at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport.