(gentle music)
- [Judy] Rancho Cucamonga feels like a small town.
Often times you'll run into people that you know
walking by.
- [Woman] It is one of those cities
that is very focused on community.
(water splashing)
- [Man] Last year, the school year didn't start the way
that anybody had expected,
and, in fact, it started with tragedy.
- [Reporter] Shock and sadness
overwhelmed campus communities
in the Rancho Cucamonga school district
where students, parents, and academic leaders
are grappling with a series of inexplainable deaths.
- In August of 2018, we had four suicides
that occurred within a two week span.
The first was a 10 year old,
followed the next week by three high school students.
- When I heard about the news,
I quickly thought about my own children,
my own partners that work with me in my store.
What could we have done to prevent this?
I just didn't feel okay with not reacting.
(peaceful guitar music)
Good morning, how are you?
Hey, you!
How's it going?
Good morning!
Good, how are you? - Sweetie!
I wanted to share a message of hope and kindness.
I thought about a space where people can just drop a note
for someone that needs to hear that they're important,
that they're loved, that they matter.
This is the first note that I wrote out
to put in the mailbox.
And it says, "I'm so proud of you!
"I just wanted to tell you in case no one has."
#Youmatter.
And then, people just started writing.
I couldn't keep up with the notes.
- You're worth more than you could ever measure.
- [Man] Your mistakes do not define you.
Believe in yourself, and you will be unstoppable.
You are amazing.
- The day I saw the mailbox, I was just moved.
I was wiping my tears.
I just thought of myself, the younger me,
what someone could have told me in middle school.
I was being bullied.
I was shoved into a locker,
I was tripped, punched.
I got the text that said, "Go kill yourself."
Bullying is very stressful
'cause you wake up in the morning, you're like,
okay, what's gonna happen to me today?
Someone writing a letter shows kindness just to feel that.
From that stranger, it's such a huge impact.
I took a quick photo of it,
and I posted it to the community Facebook page.
I never thought that it would get shared as much as it did,
or liked as much as it did.
I didn't realize that one simple post
could make the box go viral.
- It just became part of who we are,
like, part of our store.
I had another customer
who was transitioning,
and was crying.
So, I walked over, I let her pick a card and a rock,
and the rock had a rainbow and said, "You're Beautiful".
And, she, like, read the rock,
and I just said, ah!
Sorry.
And she said (sniffling),
"No one's ever said that to me before."
- When someone is on a trajectory to completing a suicide,
having one person interact with them
to make them feel as if they really matter
is a game changer.
And, the fact that baristas did this on their own
is amazing.
- Hello, guys.
- At Starbucks we know
that it's not just about making coffee, working a register.
It's about serving our community.
- You are worthy, you are loved, and you are chosen.
- Your life is worth more than what comes from the universe.
- A lot of people just go day-to-day,
and they don't maybe feel needed or feel wanted,
or they don't feel important,
and we're here to show them that they are.
- Someone out there loves you.
- It's actually a reminder to myself
that I'm worth something, and I have something to offer.
- We see you, we hear you, we love you, and you matter.
- I do come here a lot,
and it was the first Starbucks that I saw this at.
Yeah, it's pretty damn good.
- You are one of a kind,
and you have something great to offer.
(peaceful music)