One family learns community

The Webb kids, six-year-old Waylon, four-year-old Levi and three-year-old Thomas, were proud of their hard work selling lemonade and homemade peanut butter bars at their stand in Moorcroft last weekend. This stand was unique because the sign informed passers-by that this one was to help the first responders and, when people stopped, they found the treats were sold by donation.

Mother Jordan Webb summarized how this unusual situation came to be.

"They wanted to do a lemonade stand and I told them that there are a lot of other people who need the money [more than] us and they're trying to learn about that, it's a new concept for them," she said.

The youngsters' efforts brought in a whopping $345 and they donated all proceeds to the Moorcroft Fire and Ambulance Departments. Jordan later said of the generosity of those from the community and others who helped these young entrepreneurs see their promise through, "I was blown away."

She noted the biker community as "one of the most giving out of everybody. They interacted with the kids and would stop and just want to knuckle bump and [give] them a $20 and say 'Good job Little Buddy, I'm proud of you' then ride away".

This concept of giving is already a tradition in the family with grandfather (Papa) Randal Nelson a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) answering call outs as part of the ambulance service.

It is his charitable behavior that helped young Waylon to understand when he realized just how much they had made with their lemonade stand. His understanding of the benefits of giving away proceeds of his hard work became a little shaky, but Momma explained, "You know how Papa will be sitting here, eating supper and gets a call, jumps up and he is out that door to go help those people...he doesn't get paid to do that, he does that out of the kindness of his own heart because he likes to help people as do the fire fighters in town."

She reiterated how the money they gave will help, saying, "That money we provide them is going to go for fuel and upkeep on vehicles and materials and products, things like that. That is going to allow them to keep helping."

She later said, with a better appreciation of how helping them helped everyone else, Waylon is already planning for their next lemonade stand and to whom they can donate the proceeds.

The reality of how much the community relies on these volunteers was strongly brought home to Webb last year, "Our house caught on fire and they were on top of it. If not for them, we'd have lost our house."

Now, according to Mom, "They're realizing that money went somewhere good. It's really starting to click for them and they're wanting to do more and give more and reach out to others as well."

The Webb family continues their education in community responsibility by helping at the weekly Moorcroft Interfaith Community (MIC) food bank at the MTC.