INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — Lemonade served up by a seven-year-old has been raising thousands of dollars in memory of fallen police officers.
You may have heard about Malachi, the little boy from Kokomo who wants to be a police officer when he grows up.
He is raising money again after a southern Indiana police officer died in the line of duty.
Malachi's Magnificent Lemonade Stand is serving up refreshment to help the family of fallen Indiana officers who served us.
He was set up inside a Kokomo credit union on Friday. Malachi Fronczak is unfortunately back in business because another Indiana police officer was killed on the job.
"To raise for the officers that die in the line of duty," said Malachi.
In this project, Malachi is raising money for the family of Officer Ben Bertram, who was killed in a crash last month while pursuing a suspect near Charlestown.
"It really is about a little boy's heart that has a lot police officers in a local community that he's looked up to here in our local community of Kokomo," said Jason Fronczak, Malachi's dad. "When the realization hit a couple years ago that an officer could die in the line of duty, that just opened his heart to wanting to do something that he could do."
"I got some chocolate, cookies, lemonade," Malachi said.
He first opened his lemonade stand two summers ago for Southport Lt. Aaron Allen, then Boone County Deputy Jake Pickett, and then Terre Haute officer Rob Pitts. Malachi has raised over $12,000 combined for those officers' families.
Charlestown Officer Alessa Farnsley drove from southern Indiana to meet Malachi. Officer Bertram was her training officer.
"For a little boy this age to come out here and raise money for fallen officers, it's unreal and it's amazing. The outpour and outreach that we've gotten from all the communities, it's been amazing. I can't believe it. I'm so proud of him for stepping up," she said.
And despite the potential danger, Malachi wants to be a law enforcement officer when he grows up.
"To get crimes out of our world," Malachi said.
Malachi skipped school on Friday because he was working, serving up good lemonade and maybe teaching all of us a good lesson.