Community rallies to help Girl Scout replace stolen donations


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STOCKTON, Tooele County — Jade McQuiddy’s first time selling Girl Scout cookies was a success.

In the past month, the 5-year-old Stockton girl sold 402 boxes of cookies and raised $1,600 to reach her goal: a trip to Cowabunga Bay water park in Draper with her troop.

But Jade wasn’t sure if she’d be able to go on that trip.

On March 14, Jade and her family came home to find someone had broken into their home.

“The front door was wide open. The back door was unlatched,” said Jade’s mother, Alicia McQuiddy.

It wasn’t until the next day that McQuiddy realized the envelope containing the money from the cookie sales was gone.

“I think it’s sad,” McQuiddy said. “I think it’s sickening because it’s obviously from a child specifically. You didn’t just steal from a person or a household, you stole from a child — and from a group of children, because that affected the little girls in her troop."

McQuiddy reported the theft to police; and while she still doesn't know who took the money, she and her family quickly realized hope wasn’t lost. On Saturday, their community held a fundraiser so Jade could raise the money again and go on her trip.

Participants donated food and treats to sell. Characters dressed as Batman and Jack Sparrow also lent a hand, thanks to the Intermountain Renaissance Arts Foundation, a non-profit group aimed to educate in the arts, sciences and renaissance history.

“We’ve had people I don’t even know showing up and just donating cash,” McQuiddy said.

By the afternoon, donations had topped $2,200. McQuiddy said she’ll use the extra money to pay back people who bought food for the event and donate to the Girl Scouts of Utah.

Despite the actions of a thief, the McQuiddys were glad to know there are more people who are willing to do the right thing.

“When they saw that we were in need, and especially a child that was in need, everybody stepped up,” McQuiddy said.

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