This 6-Year-Old Raised $13,000 for Charity By Opening a Lemonade Stand

Like all children conclude at some point or another, a lemonade stand filled with the nation’s favorite sugar water is the solution to all the world’s ills. In the case of Shannon Cofrin Gaggero’s son, this idea proved to be a true diamond in the rough and he managed to raise $13,000 by hawking lemonade to the neighborhood.

While her son was scribbling posters to advertise his goods to his Atlanta area neighbors, Cofrin Gaggero wondered if her son’s idea would gain any traction with her friends so she posted on Facebook. To her surprise, the response was overwhelming. While her son was setting up his physical lemonade stand, Cofrin Gaggero set up her “virtual lemonade stand.”

Originally, the goal was to raise $1,000, but within three hours they had blown that figure out of the water, raising $1,100 according to reports by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And that was just the physical lemonade stand where around 20 families showed up to offer their support and let their kids run around on the front lawn. Online, 200 friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers opened their hearts and wallets to help the family raise 13 times their original goal within the week.

True to their word, all the proceeds were donated in support of the Texas non-profit the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). This organization helps provide lawyers to immigrants, as well as reunite families.

Now that all is said and done, it’s time for the family to watch the fruits of their labor blossom, and Cofrin Gaggero hopes that this event sparked more than just a momentary generosity. “I’m so proud of my kids and our community for being part of a beautiful action this week and weekend,” she wrote in a blog post about the event. “I’m proud of the parents who shared with me the conversations they had with their kids about why we were gathering.”