RivCo Waitress Saves Dimes From Tips To Pay For Daughter's Grad Trip

HEMET, CA — For more than a decade, one Inland Empire mom saved every dime — literally — to one day fund her daughter's graduation gift: an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.

According to NBC Los Angeles, Cari Mae Bulthuis started planning the high school send-off when her daughter Violet was just 4 years old, saving every dime (and the occasional dollar) left in tips while working as a server at Abby's Cafe in Hemet.

"A lot of customers would leave me handfuls of dimes for the collection," Bulthuis told NBC Los Angeles. "I did every single shift for my girl. It's what we do as a parent."

As the station reports, Violet's dad dutifully rolled up the dimes as they amassed, storing them in a safe for 13 years. After Violet graduated from West Valley High School, her parents cashed in the dimes at the bank, netting a grand total north of $5,600. Mom and daughter are set to leave for a week on Oahu in July.

>> Read more via NBC Los Angeles.