COLD SPRING – Kendall Thomas, a second grader at Mitnick Elementary School, received two special surprises at the Lower Elementary School Board meeting Sept. 27.
The second grader raised $800 for the Lunch with Lynch Foundation by selling lemonade in front of her house Sept. 11. The foundation matched the amount with another $800.
It was decided, with input from Mitnick’s principal Christina Granero, that the foundation would use the money to purchase gift cards to be distributed to all four elementary school nurses’ offices. The gift cards would be used to provide new pairs of shoes to students in need.
In recognition of her kindness, Jeff Samaniego, superintendent of Lower Elementary, presented her with a student recognition certificate, a gift card to Five Below, and a Squishmallow, a popular plush toy.
However, the biggest surprise was yet to come. School board member Michael Mader announced his own donation.
“Kendall, what you did was so kind, that I would like to match and donate $800 for the shoes as well,” said Mader.
How It All Started
The Herald talked to Samantha Thomas, Kendall’s mom, to get the story.
“It all started with meeting Mr. Lynch at a fundraiser where he was the auctioneer. Kendall was in awe of him, and the good deeds he does for the community,” Thomas said.
As a family, she said they always try to teach the kids to give back when able. Kendall has two older siblings. They lost their father in 2015, right before Kendall was born.
“Because of that, it’s so important to me they understand and grow to be givers and helpers. We give what we can when we can,” Thomas continued.
Kendall’s idea to raise money for kids in town came about in August. But it was the evening of Sept. 10 that the family decided to set up a lemonade stand, hoping a dozen people would stop by the next day.
To their surprise, friends, neighbors and family came by paying as much as $200 for a $1 cup of lemonade.
In total, $800 was raised in just a few hours.
What to Do with the Funds?
Kendall’s mom explained, “We decided on sending a text to John Lynch, explaining what Kendall did, and asking him to use the funds as he saw fit through his Lunch with Lynch foundation. That made the most sense.”
The $800 check was delivered to John Lynch and matched with the gift from his foundation.
Kindness All Around
With Kendall’s successful lemonade stand, a Lunch with Lynch foundation donation, and a school board member match, a total of $2,400 will be gifted to Lower Elementary schools to purchase shoes for any child in need.
Initially, Kendall had told her stepfather that at the start of summer she was thinking of having a lemonade stand, and would use the money to buy herself a new bike. That all changed after she met Lynch and wanted to give money to “kids in town who don’t have as much and need things.”
Thoughts? Share them with Sarah Renninger at srenninger@cmcherald.com.
