56,650 dimes is an astonishing amount of dimes. But that's how many Cari Mae Bulthuis, a single mother working as a server in California's Riverside County, collected in about 13 years to be able to send her daughter to Hawai'i for a high school graduation trip. Inspired by an article about Hawai'i with the phrase "Paradise for Pennies," Bulthuis started collecting dimes when her only child, Violet Cayton, was just 4 years old.
The collection, mostly from her tips at Abby's Cafe, was converted into a graduation gift for Violet who recently graduated with several honors from West Valley High School in Hemet, California.
"At the end of the shift, I would sometimes trade out a dollar for dimes so I could add to the collection," Bulthuis said. "A lot of customers would leave me handfuls of dimes for the collection.
"I did every single shift for my girl. It's what we do as a parent. You just want to be able to give to them."
The day after Violet's graduation, the dimes, a total of 1,133 rolls, were brought to the bank and deposited. The grand total of the collection was $5,665, which will fund a seven-day trip to Oahu for mom and daughter.
