Kettering boy’s lemonade stand goes missing; man helps build him a new one

KETTERING — A Kettering third grader is back in business after his lemonade went missing from outside his Lenox Drive house last week.

“One day I just saw my friends doing it and I did one and realized it was really fun so I made my own,” said Colby Mitchell. “It was trash night and someone thought my lemonade stand was trash and they took it on accident.”

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Colby Mitchell started his lemonade stand this summer and had been turning a profit. The stand had been built by his mother Hannah Mitchell. She noticed how upset Colby was when the stand went missing.

“Just the disappointment,” Hannah said. “He just went and laid quietly on his bed and you could see the dejection.”

Hannah took Colby’s story to the social media app NextDoor, and what happened next she was never expecting.

“I felt compelled to respond,” said Ron Siegel.

Siegel saw the post and felt like he was able to help.

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“I just felt…encouraged to build him something he could really use,” Siegel said.

Thursday Siegel delivered a hand-built lemonade stand that will allow Colby to resume his lemonade stand operations this weekend.

“I spent the last two days cutting gluing and painting for him,” Siegel said.

Colby was so thankful for the new stand and his parents, they were blown away.

“It’s really incredible…just… kind of leaves me speechless…we’re just so grateful,” Hannah said.

Colby’s dad Mark Mitchell also was thankful.

“It’s what I love about this community how people get involved with each other and work together it’s been great,” Mark said.

Siegel said he did all of this for just one reason.

“They’re complete strangers but when It comes to neighborhood and community they’re like family,” Siegel said.

Colby plans on opening his lemonade stand back up Saturday in the 3300 block of Lenox Drive. The price: 75 cents a cup.

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