‘Restored our faith in humanity': Community rallies around 7-year-old Sask. girl after lemonade stand robbery
A seven-year-old Saskatoon girl is dealing with the aftermath from her lemonade stand being robbed by two teenage boys on Monday.
“I thought that they weren't very good, and I should just stay calm,” the lemonade stand owner, Maddy said, describing the incident.
Maddy has been selling lemonade in the community for weeks, and recently saved up enough money to buy her own lemonade stand.
“She's always out here selling lemonade, any chance I let her, she loves people, she loves the interaction, she likes to make her own money,” Maddy’s mother, Jade Floata, said.
Floata said Maddy has a rare medical condition called the VACTERL association and has gone through many medical procedures in her short lifetime. The mother-daughter duo wrote a book to help children prepping for surgery, which Maddy also sells at her stand.
Floata said being a “business woman” is Maddy’s passion, but she’s not allowed to sell lemonade in their yard anymore, because two boys put her safety at risk.
She said she noticed the boys from her living room window.
“I had noticed that there was somebody that I didn't recognize, and I knew something wasn't quite right because he was helping himself to the lemonade,” Floata said.
She said they stole Maddy’s lemonade, money and candy.
“The part that shocked me was that they didn't care that I was there and shooing them away, “she said.
“I didn't know what they were going to do, and then later to find out that they were armed with a knife. I'm just sick to my stomach.”
Two boys, aged 14 and 16, were arrested shortly after fleeing the scene. The 14-year-old was in possession of a knife and was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and breaching a court order. The 16-year-old was arrested on outstanding warrants.
The Saskatoon Police Service took to Facebook on Tuesday, commending Floata for quickly reporting the incident.
“Thanks to their swift actions, the suspects were caught and were no longer able to make anyone else's day into lemons," the post said.
Maddy has garnered significant community support, with her GoFundMe page raising more than $2,000.
“When I heard this happened, I wanted to help the family, and I really wanted to show Maddy that there are still kind, generous people in this world,” said Melanie Tucker, who created the fundraising page.
Floata said she’s thankful for the donations, and grateful Glass Masters and the Saskatoon Berries have reached out and offered a safe place for Maddy to sell Lemonade.
“I am very thankful for the community to get together and support her in the way they do,” Floata said.
“It's definitely restored our faith in humanity again.”
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