Officers Help Boy After His Lemonade Money Is Stolen

9-year-old Gracen Newbauer sat outside in the hot sun for nearly 2 weeks as he worked to raise money through a lemonade stand. Gracen was set up near his home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and raised $20 over the course of those 2 weeks.

This young entrepreneur sets his stand up nearly every summer and he knows it’s a great way to raise some money on a hot day. But all his hard work was almost ruined when a group of older kids on bicycles came by Gracen’s lemonade stand. “One of them just took the glass and then they just started riding their bikes away.” Gracen called his dad, Mark Newbauer, who suggested that the boy call the police to report the incident.

Mark thought that the officers would probably be too busy for his son, but everyone was surprised with what happened next. Officer Alyssa Archer of the Brooklyn Park Police department responded to the call. She asked Gracen some questions about the incident and then she handed him $20 from her own pocket to replace that money that had been stolen. But the kindness didn’t stop there.

All throughout the day, officers who had overheard the call stopped by Gracen’s lemonade stand to help support the young boy. Altogether, they bought more than $50 in lemonade. This is truly a remarkable act that Gracen is going to remember for a lifetime. And he’s only made it a point to be more careful about the money he earns for his lemonade stand.