Edison Juel, 5, raised over $17,000 to support victims of the Maui wildfires by hosting a lemonade stand called Lemonade for Lahaina.
He and his family were on a vacation on the Big Island when the fires started, according to USA Today.
His mother Ami Juel said, “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.”
“At that point, I realized he really was paying attention and listening, that we needed to actually address it,” she went on.
The family had vacationed in Lahaina in the past and learning how the people they had met were experiencing such a disaster caused Edison to want to help them.
When they returned home to Seattle, the family set up a lemonade stand for Edison to run.
Ami Juel posted about the fundraiser in an Instagram story and praised her son for coming up with the idea to donate the proceeds to Lahaina wildfire victims.
She noted how proud she was of him and that he was selling, lemonade, sparkling water, popsicles and toys.
In the post, Edison stated, “We want to raise money for the people who have lost land in Lahaina.”
The stand was open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, and drew in donations for much more than the $1 price tag that the lemonade was sold for.
Ami Juel posted about the generosity stating, “I hoped for his sake he would sell a couple pitchers of lemonade, maybe make $100.”
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“Throughout the day people just kept sending money. People kept stopping by. We ran out of cups multiple times, and lemonade, and ice,” she went on.
“At one point there were five people waiting. A random biker bought a cup of lemonade for $100. Lots more people gave or sent $5. And all of those donations really matter, the size isn’t the point. We met a lot of neighbors,” she added.
Support from those wishing to donate through Venmo continued throughout the week and by Friday, Edison had raised over $17,000.
