• This year, Emberlin Leja submitted a story about her grandmother, semi-retired bartender Rose Leja, to a contest hosted by Four Walls Irish American Whiskey, founded by It’s always sunny among the stars of Philadelphia Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton
• Although she didn’t win the grand prize, Emberlin’s story inspired Four Walls to make a video about Rose. — and create a special T-shirt
• “Any drink you can think of, I’ve probably made it,” Rose told PEOPLE.

One woman’s heartwarming story about her brave 97-year-old bartender grandmother recently inspired a charity initiative involving the stars of It’s always sunny in Philadelphia.

Last May, Four Walls American Irish Whiskey — the whiskey brand founded by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton, and Adima creator platform co-founded by McElhenney — invited people to share their best bar stories.

One contest entry that stood out was submitted by Emberlin Leja, who tells PEOPLE she heard about the contest on social media.

“I knew someone incredible who told so many incredible stories of her time at the bar,” she recalled, thinking of her grandmother Rose Leja, a resident of Auburn, New York. “So it felt like a natural progression to write about her and learn more about her journey.”

Rose, née Flemington, the daughter of Polish immigrants, tells PEOPLE that she grew up in a large family of 10.

After dropping out of high school at age 17, she worked a variety of jobs, from milking cows to the JJ Newberry store, where she earned $1.25 an hour.

Rose also worked in a department store and grocery store. She then married her husband Babe, a state trooper, and they were together for 60 years until his death in 2009 at the age of 83. Together the couple raised two sons, John and Michael. “I’ve had a very good life,” she says.

His bartending career began in the 1960s and has continued to this day with Auburn area fraternal organizations such as the Polish Falcons and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“I made a lot of (drinks) and they went down the drain,” Rose said of her preparations. “I’ve made fancy drinks, all kinds of whiskey – (especially) honey whiskey, which I love myself. I’ve probably made every drink you can think of.”

The best part of her job, she said, was interacting with people across the bar. “I like being with someone to talk to. I was a big drinker myself, only after hours, and we had my famous drinks, the gin and tonic. I drank a lot of crazy drinks too.

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“I really loved them all,” she says of her clients. “I’ve helped a lot of them. They had no money and I bought them the drink myself at the bar, and they knew it.

These days, Rose doesn’t bartend much, but she still goes out for drinks with her son and daughter-in-law. “My father told me that on several occasions she would go there and say to the staff, ‘Oh, can I get a job?’ Would you let me work here? And they’ll say, “I mean, yeah, if you want.” ”

Although Emberlin’s proposal was ultimately not one of the competition proposals grand prize winnersFour Walls was so in love with Rose’s story that they requested photos from her family to create a special video. Rose also inspired the company to launch a special edition T-shirt with the words “Four Walls” and an illustration of a rose — proceeds from sales going to the non-profit Tales from the Cocktail Foundation.

Rose found out all about it after Emberlin created and presented the video tribute – and it was a real surprise.

“I thought, ‘What’s a time I could share this with her that will be the least overwhelming for her?'” Emberlin says.

“I was shocked, I tell you,” adds Rose. “I think I’m still in shock.”

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Always sunny Stars McElhenney, Day and Howerton say they “connected immediately” with Rose’s “three rules of bartending: ‘don’t take bull, make everyone feel like they belong, and have a good time.’ ‘

“Four Walls is a tribute to the four walls of the bar and the role these bars play in shaping culture and community. And bartenders like Rose, who dedicate their lives to this craft, deserve to be recognized,” they add. “We love the idea of ​​using his story to support the next generation of bartenders.”

“She’s my main role model in life,” Emberlin says of Rose. “She’s such a strong person. She always worked. She has always dedicated one hundred percent to everything she does. All the people in her life, all the jobs she’s had…I would give anything to emulate her life just because it’s been so full.

“I just think she’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever met,” Rose adds of her granddaughter. “I love her. She’s a sweet person. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s smart and I like smart people.