Scammed for a Good Cause

The other night, a young man came to our door selling candy to support the junior varsity basketball team. He had a handsome face and a great smile. The candy was $7 a box, but an additional donation was always appreciated – would we give $10? He’d forgotten his school ID but told me his coach’s name when I asked him. I gave him $10 and took a box of chocolate mints.

I didn’t think to ask his name.

I felt suspicious, but I like to support Bolingbrook High School. I like to appreciate teenagers and their gifts, especially when they take responsibility for them.

And yet… the charming young salesman and the $10 mints kept nagging at me.

An email back from the high school athletic director confirmed my hunch: the junior varsity boys’ basketball team wasn’t raising money by selling candy. The girls’ team wasn’t either. There was no coach by the name this kid had given me.

Darn.

So, no more donations to kids going door-to-door. But I’m still going to go to plays and concerts at the high school, root for Raider football and girls’ basketball, and shop at the BHS Christmas craft fair. And to make things right for myself, I decided to send a $20 check to the Bolingbrook Athletic Boosters. Twice what I was scammed for.

$20 isn’t a big gift, I realize. But I’d rather take my disappointment and turn it into something good. Instead of getting angry or bitter, why not decide to make the world a better place, despite it all? Even if it’s just $20, or one nice word, or one new day at a time.