6-year-old's Lemonade Stand in Atlanta Raised $13,000 for Separated Migrant Families
A 6-year-old boy in Atlanta decided to help the families separated by the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy at the border by selling lemonade. With a little help from his mom, his idea soon turned into an online petition that went on to raise more than $13,000.
The immigration crisis that has divided the country is by no means a simple matter, but Shannon Gaggero was still willing to try and explain it using terms that her 6- and 3-year-old kids would hopefully understand.
The first question from the 6-year-old was out of concern for children just like him. "Kids in jail?" he asked.
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His mom explained that there is some good news, that people are fighting and working together to get these families back together again. "What do y'all think we can do?" Shannon asked her kids.
"What about a lemonade stand?" her son suggested.
So, the kids, with the help of some of their friends, set up an actual lemonade stand decorated with signs saying "Kids Belong With Their Gamilies" and "Reunite Families." Their mom Shannon took the idea one step further by setting up a virtual lemonade stand on Facebook.
She had first hoped to gather $1,000, according to CNN. Instead, an outpouring of donations and support pushed her fundraising goals to $13,000 and even beyond. By the time the Gaggeros closed down their lemonade stand, they have ended up raising $13,283.
"My kids are 6 and 3 so they don't quite understand the scope of how much money we raised," Gaggero said, adding that they felt proud not by the amount, but seeing so many people coming to help.
Gaggero said her family will donate the proceeds to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), a nonprofit in Texas that helps immigrants and refugees with legal services.
