Thief Steals Donations From Girl Selling Lemonade to Help Crossing Guard with Cancer

CUTCHOGUE, NY — Across the North Fork, kids were raising money for good causes by selling lemonade and other goodies at yard sales Saturday morning.

But for one Cutchogue girl, what started out as a fundraiser to help a beloved crossing guard with cancer turned dark when she saw that someone had stolen all the money in her donation jar.

Faith Ann Shipman, 11, was up bright and early serving lemonade to help Renee Phelps, a school crossing guard at Cutchogue East Elementary School who is battling cancer.

Faith Ann went inside for a moment, her mother Beth Shipman said. Shipman said she turned away from the stand and then, when she looked back, saw a man who seemed to be putting a quantity of money in his pocket. That man, she said, left in a red SUV.

The Shipmans filed a police report; they have no idea how much was stolen, but said the glass jar had been stuffed with bills.

"I can only hope the person who was desperate enough to steal from a cancer fundraiser was in dire straits," Beth Shipman said. "That, perhaps, he needed it more than Renee at this moment."

After the theft, Faith Ann kept on selling lemonade at the yard sale, and three Southold Town police officer s even stopped by to purchase some.

Other kids across the North Fork were also raising funds for good causes Saturday.

Across the street from Faith Ann, Abby Tyler, 11, was also selling snacks, water and iced tea to raise funds for Phelps.

And in Southold, Joey Trapani, 9, and Phoenix Samolewski, 9, were raising for the endangered elephants in Africa; they donated the proceeds of their lemonade stand, where books and toys they'd donated were also sold, to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

By early Saturday morning, the enterprising young duo had already collected more than $30 to support the elephants.