You're never too young to make a difference. A 5-year-old boy in Seattle is learning that in a big way. Edison Juel, called Eddie by his family, heard his parents talking about the wildfires in Maui and Lahaina and decided that he wanted to help. His family had no idea that they would raise $17,000 in donations.
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"On our walk Thursday night, he suggested a lemonade stand so that he could make money to give to the kids in Lahaina," she said in the Instagram post.
Juel and her husband took to social media to promote Edison's lemonade stand, which they set up in their neighborhood. In addition to selling lemonade, they sold other treats, and even some of Eddie's toys.
According to USA Today, even though the lemonade was only $1, many people donated $5 or even $20 to Edison's efforts. That's not counting the people who weren't local and donated online.
"Most people were like, 'this is so cool. What a great idea. We've been looking for ways to help. We felt so helpless and didn't know where to donate,'" Ami said. "A lot of people came by and stopped and told us like their story of a trip to Hawaii or some connection they had to the island."
"He still thinks coins hold the most value. He’s baffled that there is no $15 bill. He asked if we could do this every Tuesday," Juel wrote on Instagram.
Thanks to the in-person donations, online donations, and corporate matching donations from Ami and her husband's jobs, Edison's lemonade stand raised over $17,000.
"I don't think he understands that this is just like not a normal response," Ami said.
"He now believes that he can make a difference and that he has good ideas and that it is important to care about our neighbors near and far," she shared on Instagram.
Sounds like Edison learned a very important lesson about philanthropy!
