An 8-year-old boy from Missouri said he loves the way his local police department always helps people in need, so he decided to pay them back.
The Blue Springs boy, Brecken Simmons, decided to set up a lemonade stand and give the proceeds to a fund for injured officers at his local department, and the community responded in a big way. His act of kindness was picked up by local television station Fox 4 Kansas City , and soon started getting some national press as well.
The attention certainly worked. As Fox 4 Kansas City later reported, Brecken’s lemonade stand raised more than $3,000 in just a few hours of being opened this weekend.
“The officers help everybody, so he wants to help them,” said Brecken’s mom, Patti Simmons. “So, he did say, if we help people maybe other people will see his story and they’ll help too.”
The boy’s parents said they try to teach Brecken and his older brother about the importance of generosity, but added that Brecken came up with the idea for the lemonade stand all on his own. Brecken set up a fully stocked stand to accommodate the many travelers who come down the busy road in front of his home, and the customers came pouring in.
The boy’s parents said they decided to let customers picks the price for the lemonade.
“We just wanted people to be able to give whatever they wanted to and not to be limited by an amount,” Scott Simmons said. “Whether it’s a dime or a 10 dollar bill — whatever they want to give is what we want to be able to do.”
A spokesperson for the police department said they are touched by the boy’s unprompted act of kindness.
“I fully expect this from a kid like Brecken,” Officer Jacoba Jacobsen said. “Doing something for the community and doing something to help others. I think it`s a great way to show other children in the community that they can make a difference by giving out some good will. Doing it with just a glass of lemonade is a great way to show that we all can band together and enjoy some positivity in our life.”
Chief of @Falmouth_Police visits a lemonade stand set up by a local kid to raise money for the injured officers #WCVB pic.twitter.com/vKGJJ2lu13
— Sera Congi (@seracongi) July 28, 2018
This has been a summer of philanthropy for lemonade entrepreneurs. Just a few days ago, a girl in Virginia opened a lemonade stand to raise more than $2,000 for a local VA hospital.
Michigan girl raises more than $2,000 for VA hospital with lemonade stand https://t.co/k6pmaQjLe5 pic.twitter.com/49FyYODjcF
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 28, 2018
Plenty of police officers showed up to thank Brecken Simmons, but many of them ended up having to work as well. There were so many people coming into the neighborhood to buy lemonade that police had to help direct traffic.
