Shutdown of child’s ice cream stand leads to community fundraising effort

Jack Aylmer

TWELVE-YEAR-OLD DANNY DOHERTY wanted to make money and hold a fundraiser in his  NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, community, so he set up his own HOMEMADE ICE CREAM STAND this summer.   But TOWN OFFICIALS shut him down 

What followed was a major community-wide movement that dwarfed what Danny had hoped to achieve, raising tens of thousands of dollars for a local cause.

The young man HAD THE IDEA TO SELL  his frozen treats IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD and give away half the money to his brother’s hockey team. HE SERVED VANILLA, SHAVED CHOCOLATE AND FLUFFERNUTTER TO ABOUT 20 FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. DAYS LATER, HIS FAMILY RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE NORWOOD BOARD OF HEALTH, ORDERING THEM TO CLOSE THE STAND.

TOWN OFFICIALS SAID THEY HAD RECEIVED A COMPLAINT, AND THE STAND WAS FOUND TO BE IN VIOLATION OF THE MASSACHUSETTS FOOD CODE. 

DANNY’S MOM, NANCY DOHERTY,  felt let down.

NORWOOD TOWN OFFICIALS FOUND THEMSELVES IN HOT WATER, reportedly RECEIVING HATE MAIL AND DEATH THREATS. THE TOWN MANAGER saying THE SITUATION HAD BEEN MISCHARACTERIZED and the city acted on PUBLIC CONCERNS. 

BUT INSTEAD OF GIVING UP, DANNY TURNed HIS SETBACK INTO SOMETHING POSITIVE. HE STARTED GIVING AWAY THE ICE CREAM AND ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR BOSTON BEAR CUBS, A HOCKEY TEAM FOR PLAYERS WITH PHYSICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, INCLUDING HIS BROTHER. 

ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW FUNDRAISER, he ran out of ICE CREAM IN JUST 10 MINUTES AND RAISEd ONE-THOUSAND-DOLLARS in donations. AS WORD CONTINUED TO SPREAD, THE COMMUNITY RALLIED AROUND his CAUSE. LOCAL BUSINESS JOINED, HOSTING THEIR OWN FUNDRAISERS TO SUPPORT THE HOCKEY TEAM. ONE LOCAL SHOP TEAMED UP WITH A BOSTON RADIO STATION TO HOST A FUNDRAISER AND raised THIRTY-SIX  HUNDRED-DOLLARS

In all, Danny’s fundraiser brought in 20 thousand dollars for his brother’s hockey team.