9-year-old girl raises more than $20,000 for K9

MOSES LAKE — Kenna Morrison was raising money to help the Moses Lake Police Department establish a second K9 team, and MLPD Chief Kevin Fuhr said he thought Kenna could’ve raised as much as $12,000. Wrong. Kenna and her mom Jesyka made one of those big checks, and when Kenna presented it to the chief the amount was $20,275. Nobody in the crowd assembled for Kenna’s presentation expected that. “Kenna just bought us a dog and (officer) training,” Fuhr said. “I am just amazed.” Kenna did have some help. She asked businesses all around town for donations, “literally door to door,” her mom said. Kenna said she collected donations from 63 businesses. Kenna, who’s 9 years of age, is a budding small business owner - she’s been making slime all summer and selling it at the Moses Lake Farmers Market each Saturday. (See the story in the Aug. 28 Columbia Basin Herald.) She was making money, and decided she wanted to give the proceeds from one weekend’s sales to a charitable project, her mom said. “I just wanted to help people,” Kenna said. Jesyka Morrison is a veterinarian, and Kenna and her brother Kellan show dogs, Kenna’s dad Brad said. In fact, she qualified for state competition next weekend. So a project involving dogs appealed to her. “The county (Grant County Sheriff’s Office) has five dogs, and the city only has one dog,” Kenna explained. The dog itself will cost about $10,000, and the officer training is about $10,000, Fuhr said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.