Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cities
McKenna Arnold, Second Place
Grade 6, Intermediate Division
Mrs. Hayes, Ocean View School
Hurricanes can destroy houses and lives. After Hurricane Katrina,
many fundraisers were started to help all the people who suffered.
This is where our story starts.
As I said before, many fundraisers were being formed to help all of
the people whose houses had been destroyed. Our story starts at a
fundraiser in Lakeside, Michigan. Many people in Michigan had rela-
tives who suffered, so of course they wanted to help out. On every
street there were stands asking people to buy lemonade or to just
plain give money. One of the people who was doing a fundraiser was
Sally Kimble and her family. Sally had an aunt who had suffered.
The Johnson family next door had an uncle too. They switched off
every day to work the booth. The Johnson family had a little girl
named Julie. Their houses were on the end of the street that opened
into the housing district, so naturally they got the most money. Their
average had been raised to 100 dollars per day.
One day Sally and Julie were walking home when they passed the
toy store. Inside on the window display they saw a Barbie Dream
House, with all of her little friends (the one that Clara Barton had been
bragging about all day at school). They looked closer. They saw that
it cost 125 dollars. That was more than both Sally’s and Julie’s
money combined. They both looked at each other and knew that they
both wanted it, but they both knew that it was impossible without their
parents’ help. Plus where would they keep it? They both walked
home dragging their feet. When they got home they both went out to
the fort Sally’s dad had built them. In there they talked about the
dream house and how they could buy one. Many ideas came, but
none sounded as if it could work. Suddenly Julie came up with a
crazy idea.
They could steal from the fundraiser! She kept on talking rapidly
about the plans and how they could do it when Sally finally inter-
rupted. She knew it was wrong, but the idea of the dream house kept
tormenting her. In the end she finally agreed but her parents couldn’t
be around them when they took the money. They both counted their
money and they came up with $73.99. They would have to take
$55.01 plus tax!
On the day they decided to steal the money, their parents had to go
grocery shopping and left them in charge of the booth. No one was
coming toward them at the moment, so they took the money and put
it in the fort. Later, when their parents got home, Sally and Julie left
to go and buy the dream house.
While Sally and Julie were walking, Sally was thinking about what
they were about to do. She asked herself 4 questions: Is it the
truth? No, they were stealing. Is it fair to all concerned? Well, no,
they were stealing from a charity that was going to help people who
really needed it, they were betraying their parents’ trust, and they
were taking other people’s money. Will it build good will and better
friendships? Again, no, they are taking money that could build
good will and better friendship, but no. And will it be beneficial to all
concerned? Also no, it is not beneficial to the people they were
raising the money for, or their parents. It was only beneficial to
them. Right as they were about to enter the toy shop, Sally
stopped them. She mentioned to Julie what they were about to do
and they both thought about it. Julie soon reached the same con-
clusion that Sally had. They were doing something very wrong.
They both went home and secretly returned the money.
For the next 2 weeks Sally and Julie worked extra hard on the
household chores and got enough money to buy their own dream
house. When they got home with their new toy, they realized that it
is better to work hard for something and enjoy their accomplish-
ment, than to take credit for someone else’s hard work. Now Sally,
Julie and myself know that 4 questions can save you from making a
big mistake.
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