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Child's Lemonade Stand Raises $17,000 For Victims Of Maui Wildfires

August 28, 2023

A 5-year-old's lemonade stand has managed to raise an astonishing $17,000 to aid the victims of the devastating wildfires that have recently swept through Maui, Hawaii.

@amijean2 / Instagram

Edison "Eddie" Juel overheard his parents watching news reports of the tragedy.

"It was Wednesday afternoon, we had the news on, and he asked me to turn it off because he said that made him too sad," Eddie's mother, Ami told USA TODAY.

"He'd ask if kids had really lost all their toys, or their bed, and then drop it, the issue clearly on his mind, but hard to process," she said.

That's when Eddie shared the idea of starting a lemonade stand, similar to one he had seen on a previous trip to Colorado, and donating all the money to support victims of the wildfires.

"I thought maybe we could raise $100," Ami said.

The stand ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and raised $8,000 in one day. Lemonade sold for one dollar each, but most people gave $5, $10 and $20 bills as part of their donation. Many people donated online through Venmo.

"Throughout the day people just kept sending money. People kept stopping by. We ran out of cups multiple times, and lemonade, and ice. At one point there were 5 people waiting. A random biker bought a cup of lemonade for $100," Ami said.

By the end of the weekend, Eddie had managed to raise over $17,000 – an amount that far exceeded anyone's expectations.

"We got a $500 Venmo donation and couldn’t believe it, but Edison was more excited about the kid who showed up with a bag full of coins," Ami said.

The donations will benefit the Maui Community Fund.

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