Carter (12) and Kendell (7) Shelton were attending a golf tournament in Berthoud with the purpose of setting up a lemonade stand for thirsty golfers. While wandering through the parking lot, they came across a booth set up by Longmont’s Veteran Community Project and immediately decided to help.
Carter said he thought the idea of helping veterans find homes was “really cool” and that he and his sister Kendall wanted to help. The duo, along with their grandmother Judi Madsen, quickly pivoted from a simple lemonade stand to sell refreshments for a worthy cause.
Carter and Kendell quickly learned everything they could about VCP and explained the cause to thirsty golfers.
"That we are so grateful that Carter and Kendell not only sprang to action, but they were remembered so many details about our organization! Carter remembered a lot of details about our VCP Village and was sharing that with me when they presented us the donation. Carter and Kendell are incredible kids and we are so happy that our paths crossed," said said Melissa Gruber, VCP director of development.
The trio only spent a day on the field but earned around $300 with many golfers donating to the cause without accepting refreshments.
“We got a $50 bill,” Carter said.
Carter and Kendell decided that they would donate half of the money to VCP. Staff at VCP had no idea the young people were stopping by and were surprised by the generous donation.
"It was incredibly heartwarming to see these two children care deeply about our cause and immediately want to support us. I remember meeting them over the weekend and to see them literally running to our booth on Sunday was so overwhelming. We are so grateful for our supporters, but there is something extra special about the youth in the community who want to support our Veterans," Gruber said.
“It was a good thing to do,” both Carter and Kendell said.
VCP plans to use the donation as part of the funds that provide wrap around and Veteran specific case management, workforce development, financial literacy and supportive services.
Both Carter and Kendell hope to set up another lemonade stand next year. They plan to use the skills they learned this year to bring in more business and to add another day. They hope that by doing this they will be able to donate even more money to a local charity, although they haven’t decided which one yet.
