Elsa is making lemonade out of a lemon situation!

My niece Elsa recently had her annual lemonade & flower stand shut down by the city after a neighbor called to complain about her selling at the local city park, very close to her grandma’s house. She was very confused as to why she couldn’t sell there as she had every year but her grandma helped her move to private property. She took a photo with the nice city park ranger as he was just doing his job as he legally had to. Elsa loves police, fire fighters and rangers- she met a lovely police officer a few weeks ago.

She donates half her lemonade/flower stand profits ever year to the Everett Gospel Mission, since she is so concerned about the welfare of the homeless men and women she sees on our city streets. She had a little less exposure to foot and car traffic in her new spot but continued to sell her little heart out. In the end, she managed to give over $60.00 to the mission.

This Everett area is a tight knit neighborhood, very supportive of each other and looking out for their fellow neighbors (well, except for the complainant- there’s always that one …). However, it has become more unsafe in recent years, as there is a homeless encampment about 2 blocks away and neighbors have made many calls to the police with concerns about being followed walking in their own neighbourhood, folks high on substances swinging golf clubs, tents in their yards, fires, etc. They have called for months, either without a response at all, or a response so slow, by the time police do arrive, there is nothing that can be done or found. But 10 minutes after the neighbor complained about Elsa selling her tasty lemonade and flowers, the ranger showed up to escort her off property, while the homeless encampment is allowed to stay. What is wrong with this picture?

Local news caught the story and came to interview Elsa and her Grandma about what happened, and middle of the interview, they were interrupted by a naked homeless man walking up the street and through the very park she was selling her lemonade and flowers a few days ago. It helped to put a laser focus on the disparity of the city’s approach between an entrepreneurial young lady hoping to make an impact in her city (and some spending money for Disneyland) and the the city’s response (or lack one) to our city’s homeless population. Now it’s national news- let’s cultivate some good fruit out of this story and make lemonade out of lemons!

Elsa wanted to make a difference for the homeless in Everett by supporting the Everett Gospel Misson. Let’s help her and the Misson show the homeless that they are loved and we want to help those who are willing to be helped! Please donate to show your support today - all funds generated will go to support the Everett Gospel Mission.