Vandals Target East Lynn Little League Concession Stand
LYNN (CBS) - Days on the baseball diamond are just as important to 9-year-old Cody Collins as they are to his mother.
"Try to keep them in sports and out of trouble and this happens it kind of puts a damper on the neighborhood," said Vicki Cutler.
Someone vandalized the East Lynn Little League concession stand at the Clark Street Field.
"I was ticked off to say the least," said League President Julio Polonia.
The League discovered the crime Monday evening. The food was thrown around the floor, the large refrigerator now has to be replaced. The thief broke open the security box and stole $600 in cash.
Most of that money was to go toward supplies for painting a mural on the concession stand to cover all the graffiti that was done in previous months. An art group is donating their talents to paint the mural.
The team started a GoFundMe page and the news quickly spread. Less than two days later a stranger donated $1,000, another $500 and other people made donations too.
"Satisfying that people are rewarding what we're doing. People realizing it's something the kids need," said Polonia.
The East Lynn Little League is one of five in town.
"Most of the kids in the area played here at one time or another and it looks like someone has keys or door was left open," said Polonia.
A neighbor said he spotted the thief over the weekend running from the building. He described him as a kid with a backpack.
For Polonia the league remains about helping kids. It's a motto instilled in him by his mentor. A plaque in his memory hangs on the concession stand with this quote, "It says 'Well boys, we do it for the kids,'" said Polonia.