Kristian offers a sales pitch

Steve Griffitts of Jobs Plus is always looking for sound research he can use to entice businesses to move here.

The sales approach generally includes a favorable tax structure, trained workforce with a strong work ethic, good schools and four spectacular seasons.

We suggest that if he also includes two stories from last week's Press, Griffitts' days of long travel and arduous salesmanship could be over. On top of all the other solid business reasons to set up shop here, who could resist the compelling tale of 11-year-old Kristian Parrett and the community that loves him?

Kristian's the Coeur d'Alene Boy Scout and science buff who worked and saved all summer, doing jobs little and big for whatever people could afford to pay him. His goal: To save $100 so he could buy a brand new bicycle. On Friday, Aug. 26, he bought the bike at Walmart in Hayden. And on Friday, Aug. 26, just a few hours after he'd bought it, the bike was stolen outside Kroc Center, where Kristian had ridden to pick up free school supplies.

But this is not a story about bike thefts and broken hearts. This is a story about a boy who promptly decided he would start over, work more, raise the money and buy another new bike. And it is a story about a community that helps those who help themselves.

The ink was still drying on the Saturday morning Press when phones and inboxes at the newspaper began receiving offers of assistance. Our best estimate is that we received more than 100 calls, a few pledging to chip in, several offering almost-new replacement bikes, many willing to buy the boy a brand new bike outright and one from a gentleman who said he'd purchase a bike worth up to three times what Kristian had paid for his. The phone calls came from young moms and old grandfathers. They all were riding quickly to Kristian's rescue.

So was a Walmart manager and his wife, who promptly replaced not only Kristian's bike but gave one to his sister, too. To cap it off, Kristian decided that donations he received from well-wishers would all go to new bicycles for the kids at Children's Village, a nonprofit home for children in dire life circumstances.

Mr. Griffitts, we submit these articles to you for distribution among the nation's most conscientious companies with an eye on expansion. They won't be able to resist Kristian's pitch for a place where hard work and glad hearts feel right at home.