Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SUNSET — A 7-year-old from Clinton is crushing ice and selling snow cones through the summer, all to help a special police dog.
Jack Stevenson said he got the idea from a book.
"I went over to my school library and found a book on police dogs," he said. "I found this story about a girl in Florida who had enough money for every police dog in Florida to have a vest."
So Jack talked to his mother, Peggy Stevenson, about his idea. When she asked him why he wanted to do this, he told her, "They keep us safe, Mom, so we need to keep them safe, too!"
He asked his mother to contact the police department in Clinton, which also covers the city of Sunset. The Clinton police chief told them their dog, Delta, does have a vest, but the department could always use money for training and to keep her healthy and happy.
“They reacted happily because they're always in need of funds because they're paying for so much out of their own pocket,” Jack said.
He decided to call his campaign “Sno-Cones for Safety.” Every Thursday, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. he sells snow cones for 50 cents from his driveway at 1983 N. 250 West.
Friends help him hold signs, and some neighbors come every week to buy a treat to help Delta.
“To be a beneficiary of Jack’s good deeds, we’re more than honored,” said Delta's handler, Clinton police officer Justin Glommen.
Through snow-cone sales and donations, the 7-year-old has surpassed his goal to raise $300 this summer. In fact, he’s already raised more than $750. And he's still going strong, earning all he can for Delta until the end of the summer.
