Chatham

A lemonade stand miracle in CK

When life handed lemons to a four-year-old boy from Chatham, he decided to make lemonade.

A.J. Marques and his family had recently relocated to Chatham from Harrow. But when A.J. left his bike by the side of their new house one evening, he discovered the next morning that it was nowhere to be found.

"We're from a small town, and I never thought anything of it. I didn't think it was taken," said Cassandra Marques, A.J.'s mother.

Despite feeling disheartened, A.J.'s determination kicked in, and with his mother's encouragement, he and his older brother embarked on a creative adventure. They started a lemonade stand to collect money to replace his bike.

They organized a small lemonade stand in their front yard, and their first customer was Nadja Lucyk from Dover Auto Wreckers. The determination of these young boys deeply moved her, and she surprised them by offering to cover the remaining amount of money needed to buy the bike they were saving up for.

However, Nadja's heart was so touched that before the end of the day, she returned with a bigger surprise, a brand-new bike for A.J. The boys were taken aback by her generosity and decided to donate the $155 they had raised to a local charity.

"Because he now has a bike, I spoke with my kids and we decided it was the right thing to do and donate the money to a shelter or food bank," Cassandra told CK News Today.

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