Local Girl Scouts rally together to preserve memory of 7-year-old struck and killed while riding her bike
EDINA, Minn. -- Boxes of colorful beads covered the entire kitchen table at Janna Kleineman's home in Edina. It appeared to be typical weekend fun—girls who are in the same Girl Scouts troop came over on a Friday night to make friendship bracelets.
But they wish what brought them together on this occasion weren't true: One of their members, Penny Thompson, was tragically killed Monday after a car struck her while she was riding her bike. She was only seven.
The community has embraced her family in the days since. Within days, GoFundMe for the family exceeded its goal thirty-fold.
"It was just an instant movement," said Sarah Nolan, one of the troop leaders alongside Kleineman.
"Everyone just wanted to know how they could support the family. Can they bring flowers, what do they need, what can we do? Just everyone expressing their grief and just also wanting to come together to provide support in any way," Kleineman added.
Before Thompson is laid to rest Saturday, Nolan and Kleineman said her family had a request: that her funeral not be sad, but a celebration.
"And feel like a Taylor Swift concert," Nolan said. "She was a big Swiftie and loved the friendship bracelets," Kleineman chimed in.
Trading friendship bracelets has become a fixture at Swift's "Eras Tour," which had several stops across the U.S. this summer, including Minneapolis. Fans are eager to share bracelets they've made, usually with Swift's lyrics on them, with others attending the show as they relish in the excitement of seeing their favorite artist.
And around that kitchen table in Edina Friday, Thompson's friends laughed and weaved beads on a string, finding joy of their own amid their grief. Older girls in Girl Scouts came over with bracelets they made to give to each member of Thompson's troop.
"It will be a positive memory when they think of Penny to think of the things she really loved and how they were able to sort of do all of this in her memory at this very sad time," Kleineman said.
Now second graders, her friends described Thompson as "really kind" and "one of the nicest people" they know. They said their fondest memories were play dates and when she came to birthday parties.
Her family wrote in her obituary that there was not enough room on the page to express the love they have for her. Others described her as a "beautiful soul" and remember her for her smile that "could brighten up the darkest days"
Her memorial service is Saturday for friends and family, but the public is invited to watch on a livestream here.
