In the summer, temperatures in Ohio can become extremely high. That’s why Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Zach Ropos pulled off for lemonade as he patrolled the streets of Painesville, Ohio. He was on patrol in Painesville, Ohio, when he noticed an adorable little lemonade stand run by a 9-year-old girl named Gabrielle.
“I see a little girl come running up to my police car,” stated Deputy Ropos. “She hands me a glass. I hand her a few bucks. I asked her what she wanted to do with the money … she said she’d get an iPad to help with school and play games.”
The deputy stopped to talk with the mother when he saw how hard she was working. Deputy Ropos was so taken by how hard the young girl was trying that he stopped for a few minutes to speak with her mom. While they were chatting, Ropos recalled something – he had an old iPad at home that wasn’t being used. He figured he might give it to the budding businesswoman as a way of assisting her run her lemonade stand more effectively.
To his surprise, Ropos discovered that his iPad was not functioning as he had anticipated when he got home that evening.
“I see a little girl come running up to my police car,” Ropos said. “She hands me a glass. I hand her a few bucks. I asked her what she wanted to do with the money … she said she’d get an iPad to help with school and play games.”
Ropos resumed his effort to acquire the little girl an iPad the next day. Ropos visited a nearby shop and inquired whether they would be willing to contribute a few dollars to Gabrielle’s lemonade stand in order for her to have the computer equipment she needed to run it efficiently. Later that afternoon, when he had some time, Ropos went back to Gabrielle’s lemonade stand and had a conversation with her mother.
“I talked to the little girl, gave her a speech about how courageous and admirable I think her efforts were to save up her money. I asked her how much she saved up, and she said she only had a few dollars,” Ropos stated.
Gabrielle revealed that her mother had run out of money for gas, so she used the money from the lemonade stand to assist her.
“I talked to the little girl, gave her a speech about how courageous and admirable I think her efforts were to save up her money. I asked her how much she saved up, and she said she only had a few dollars,” Ropos added.
Gabrielle was ecstatic when Ropos presented her with a new tablet device. His partner was there to capture the moment in action. The 9-year-old girl was overjoyed to receive her own iPad to operate her lemonade stand.
“She just wouldn’t stop hugging me,” adding, “Seeing her face is how I remember Christmas when I was five years old. She couldn’t stop smiling. Her smile was worth a million dollars.”
What are your thoughts on this Sheriff’s Deputy going above and beyond the call of duty?
