Great job UPS!
4-year-old Carson developed a friendship with his UPS driver, Mr. Ernie, when he began receiving shipments of special milk. Carson has become fascinated by all things UPS. He wishes to be just like his pal, so UPS made Carson a UPS driver for a day.
For 4-year-old Carson of Colorado Springs, Co., the familiar UPS brown truck means more than just delivery time. It signals a visit from his special friend.
Parents Jim and Karen, who requested their last name not be used, explained that a milk sensitivity required Carson to receive multiple deliveries a week of a special type of formula. Those frequent visits helped the boy form a strong bond with his local delivery driver, Ernie Lagasca, to the point where he would eagerly await Lagasca’s arrival.
“He loved trucks. He would sit in the window when I drove by and over time, I started honking and waving,” Lagasca explained. “It got to the point where he’d hear the truck coming and be waiting on the curb.”
Eventually, Carson’s interest in all trucks became specifically about the big brown truck and its friendly driver. Lagasca, who Carson refers to as “Mr. Ernie,” was happy to indulge the little guy, and began to cherish the time they spent together.
“[In] my job, I meet a lot of wonderful people, but Carson really stood out,” Lagasca said. “Just to see him growing up so far in his young life, how I’ve made an impact on him. He adds a bright light into my life. It makes me feel my job is more worthwhile.”
As the two spent more time together and their unique friendship blossomed, Carson realized his dream of following in Mr. Ernie’s footsteps to become a delivery driver himself. He sports a miniature version of the company uniform, complete with matching cap, and turned the family’s basement into a shipping department for when he “plays UPS.”
