Homeowners Association Shuts Down Kids' Fund-Raiser

 

   

Two girls who set up a lemonade stand to raise money for the recent tsunami victims in southeast Asia were told to close up shop by the neighborhood's security personnel.

 

Samantha Chenkin and her little sister, Sophie, raised almost $200 in two hours Sunday selling lemonade around the corner from their Boca Raton home.

 

Woodfield Country Club security -- with their police lights flashing -- put a stop to that.

 

"I just didn't think it was right for them to stop something that's for a really good cause," Chenkin said.

 

A guard told them the security office had received complaints.

 

"Samantha asked me a lot of questions, one being why would someone want to prevent us from raising money to help people who have no parents and no food," Samantha's mother, Carol Chenkin, said.

 

Homeowner Association President Rick Coffin said security stopped the children from selling lemonade for their protection.

 

Two people called security, according to Coffin. He said the association had concerns about kids near what he described as a busy intersection inside the club.

 

"It wasn't explained to the kids that it was a security issue," Carol Chenkin said.

 

Seven parents watched over the kids who came to help sell lemonade.

 

"It wasn't like we were going to let our kids get run over," Carol Chenkin said.

 

The security guard who made the kids and their parents shut down the lemonade stand told them he felt bad about it, but that he was only doing his job.

 

The security guard also donated a dollar to the kids' fund.

 

Coffin said he is planning a club-wide fund-raiser involving the children so they will have another venue to raise money for tsunami victims.


 
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