Converting white into green

Snow-filled pathways turn Fulton teenagers into young entrepeneurs

Dakota Adams, 13, of Fulton knocks on the door of a home on Bluff Street to receive payment after he and his friends, Aaron Popchoke, 13, Isaac Schneller, 22, and Savannah De Leal, 14, (not pictured) shoveled sidewalk and around a parked car. They were paid $20 total.
Dakota Adams, 13, of Fulton knocks on the door of a home on Bluff Street to receive payment after he and his friends, Aaron Popchoke, 13, Isaac Schneller, 22, and Savannah De Leal, 14, (not pictured) shoveled sidewalk and around a parked car. They were paid $20 total.

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Snowfall meant extra cash for some Fulton teenagers Wednesday.

Aaron Popchoke, 13, went to his best friend's home at 10 a.m. Wednesday, telling him to get out of bed.

"I said, "Get up it's time to shovel snow,'" Popchoke said.

Popchoke and Dakota Adams, 13, were on a mission to make money. Popchoke's mother, Wendy Allen-Popchoke, helped out, posting a Facebook status that her son was out in the bitter cold and willing to clear off driveways and sidewalks.

"I think it's great he's taking the initiative," Allen-Popchoke said.

Their friends Savannah De Leal, 14, and Isaac Schneller, 22, later joined the boys in the afternoon. De Leal said she wasn't in it for the money.

"It's not about money to me," De Leal said. "It's about helping people who can't help themselves."

For Popchoke and Adams, the money went in their pockets. Between homes and businesses, the four friends cleared six places. Popchoke and Adams earnings totaled to $41 each while Schneller made $5 and De Leal just took $1.

Adams is saving for the video game, "Call of Duty: Ghosts." Popchoke wants to buy a new hermit crab because his mom accidentally killed his last one.

"They're simple animals and I honestly can bond with them ... It was an awesome little creature," Popchoke said.

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When he woke up Wednesday morning, Popchoke didn't expect to earn a dime, thinking no one would want his shoveling services.

"My mom told me, "You might as well try because you're never going to know unless you try,'" Popchoke said.

The friends took breaks throughout the day to warm up in the below-freezing temperatures. For Adams, winter is his favorite time of the year. The three feet of snow that fell years ago was heaven to him. Adams said he likes everything about what for many is a hated season.

"The cold. The snow. The icicles. Especially the icicles," Adams said.

While Popchoke, Adams, De Leal and Schneller shoveled, another pair of friends profited from the freezing conditions.

Seventeen-year-olds Jacob Garnett and William Scoggins of Fulton hit three homes in three hours. They earned $120 total and split the cash.

Garnett said he's going to use the money for social purposes - events at KC Country and gas so he can travel around town.