A small lemonade stand supporting a VA hospital in Michigan raised more than $2,000 last week, and it is all thanks to 12-year-old Samantha Stricker of Saginaw.
For the last four years the young girl has been raising funds for local veterans by selling her lemony beverage to the community, according to WNEM.com. The idea came about when her mom found a story online about a soldier who was hurt but could not receive all his benefits.
"Many veterans need help and that's why I decided to have this lemonade stand four years ago when I was nine," Stricker wrote on her GoFundMe page. "At first I was going to keep the money for myself but then I thought about all the people who have so much less than me. So I decided to take action and make a difference."
In her first year, Stricker raised about $150, and the year after that she managed to bring in just under $500 for the hospital.
Last year she topped that figure by raising $1,500, but this year she smashed her target by raking in just over $2,100, which she presented to the hospital Wednesday.
Her mother, Kelleigh Stricker, told CBS News the Saginaw community "really embraced" the campaign this year.
Sponsors helped to reduce the costs involved in making the lemonade and people around the neighborhood made a point of stopping by to purchase her delicious beverage, including the local fire department.
By the end of her drive, Stricker sold about 54 gallons of lemonade, her mom told CBS News.
Sweetening the deal was that many supporters paid more than the $1 that was being asked for a cup of lemonade.
"A lot of people give me like $20s and $10s for just one cup of lemonade," Stricker told WNEM. “It means a lot because it means they really care about people and they want to help too,” she added.
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