Recently I read an article about a girl from Johnson Lane trying to raise $1,400 for a horse show. At first I thought we could afford to send a small donation to help, so I called the Greater Nevada Credit Union to make a donation.
They said they had already greatly exceeded the amount desired, so I decided there was no reason to donate more.
Then my family and I went to a restaurant in Minden for lunch and they were also taking even more donations for this girl. I told them I had called the credit union and the amount was more than covered. They were quite surprised to hear this. That same night, I got a knock on the door to find a young girl asking if we would like to buy a raffle ticket to help her go to a horse show in Arizona. I asked if she was the same girl from the article in the paper. She said yes, and I asked her if that was her parents in the driveway. She also replied yes; it appeared to be a brand new Toyota 4 Runner, and then I started to get a little angry!
How could someone who drives a much finer vehicle than mine come to my door and ask for excess cash for a show? They already clearly had gotten more money than they intended. It wasn't like she was raising money for a sick child, won the Olympics or going to college because her parents could not afford it. This was a clear case of desperation and greed. I felt sorry for the child thinking that her parents would put her up to such a scam. There were many people in this fine county who gave to her on false pretenses.
We have had horses for more than 20 years and know the financial responsibilities they carry. Maybe her parents should have picked another sport that would meet their financial situation.
What are they going to do if their daughter is asked to go to another horse show? Many children around this county win horse shows all the time, and I've never heard one of them ask for a dime. Her parents have pulled off a scam at the expense of their daughter.
MARK and DEBBIE JOHNSON
Minden
