WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – When a little girl set up a lemonade stand this summer to raise money for the White Lake Township Fire Department, she had no clue what she was going to get in return.
“You forgot the most important part,” said Stacy Brand to her daughter, Madison.
“Oh, yeah!” Madison shouted as she runs to the front door to grab her very own firefighter helmet.
Most third graders don’t have to remember to bring a firefighter helmet with them to school, but Madison Brand isn’t your ordinary third grader and Thursday wasn’t an ordinary school day.
Instead of mom and dad or the bus dropping her off at school, White Lake Township Fire Department offered to take Madison to school in a fire truck.
“What’s up, you’re ready to go to school?” said one of the EMT firefighters.
In July, White Lake Township was hit by an EF-1 tornado. That time of destruction inspired Madison to do a little something to help.
“I saw a bunch of trees down and since all the fireman were doing a lot, I gave money to them,” said Madison.
She made that money the best way she knew how.
“I had a lemonade sale and raised over $100,” Madison said.
She gave it to White Lake Township Fire Department in the form of a Kroger gift card. When she arrived at the station they gave her a firefighter helmet with all their badge numbers written on it. Fast forward to Thursday when they planned to give Madison a ride of a lifetime.
They drove down her street with sirens blaring, pulled up to her driveway and took pictures.
“You’re going to jump in right here,” one EMT firefighter said. “You get the seat of honor.”
It’s the fire department’s way of showing gratitude.
“We see so much bad stuff daily. When we get to do fun things like this it makes you so happy, it’s like giving back a little bit,” said Capt. Jason Crean of White Lake Township Fire Dept.
Last summer Madison raised money to by craft supplies and projects for kids at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. For next summer, she is thinking of raising money for police.
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