My first job: Palmer saving for the future
HAYDEN — While many teens enjoy the ease and relaxation of a summer by the lake, Kade Palmer is working in perhaps the most frantic, fast-paced environment a kid will ever see.
“Work is going great,” the Triple Play Family Fun Park employee said about his first job, serving as lifeguard for Raptor Reef. “We’re making slow advancements to further our work experience.”
If you’ll remember, while most young people working their first jobs spend their money on the more frivolous and fleeting purchases of youth, Palmer is saving every dime he can from the breakneck speed of Triple Play. As he keeps watch over the waters of Raptor Reef, he doesn’t dream about what his money can buy, but rather what his money can deliver. That’s why, unlike virtually every American teen in history, Palmer is investing the bulk of his summer paychecks into CDs.
“[The CDs] are going great,” he said. “Slowly and surely, they’re gaining more money.”
Palmer isn’t just making money, apparently. The Coeur d’Alene High School graduate said he’s also earning life experience.
“[I’ve learned from this job] people are wild,” he said. “Also, some of the nicest people I’ve met.”
Still, his income is changing his perspective on life, particularly the more challenging realities of purchasing power.
“Yes,” Palmer said, “it does make me realize that everything costs money. And I mean everything, such as cell phone bills, car insurance, et cetera. The little things matter.”
Palmer has still found ways to donate some of his income to those in need from time to time, acts he finds rewarding, too.
“I love giving,” he said. “It makes me feel very good about why I’m doing it. And it [can] benefit the person greatly.”
The money he keeps will one day go toward Police Academy tuition, he hopes. Since his story was first published in The Press, one particular reader chose to reach out to Palmer and offer his services.
“I had a great one-on-one meeting with Kade,” Post Falls Police Chief Pat Knight said. “He is an exemplary young man. He has been on two prior ridealongs with the Post Falls Police Department and really enjoyed them both.”
Knight said Palmer’s focus on his future makes the recent graduate a source of community pride and a role model to the local kids he protects every day at Raptor Reef.
“Kade and I spoke for some time about his options moving forward,” Knight said, “knowing his end goal was to be a law enforcement officer in North Idaho. He is from the area and has no ambitions of leaving to find work. He has a real deep desire to help and serve those right here in Kootenai County. He shared some personal stories about himself [with me], and he has some family friends who are current law enforcement officers in this area. In my short time with Kade, I can see him being a real asset to any one of our departments in the near future. I hope he sticks with his dream.”
“I was able to meet with the Chief of Police for the City of Post Falls,” Palmer said. “He is extremely nice and wanted to help me achieve what I wanted out of a law enforcement career. He is helping me to this day. I’m very grateful for that opportunity.”