Nine-year-old’s lemonade stand raises over $3,000 to help Detroit
Last week, nine-year-old Joshua Smith, and his friend Dwayne Durant, 10, sold lemonade, fruit punch, water and popcorn near Smith's Detroit home. They were hoping to raise $1,000 to help Detroit's financial crisis.
"I heard the city was in crisis because the city is broke, and I was really upset," Joshua told USA Today.
He distributed fliers in his neighbourhood that read:
"May you please help the City of Detroit. Please buy this popcorn and drinks. It's not so expensive. I didn't make it expensive so you would have to spend all your money. The money will help clean up trash on the ground and cut the grass in the parks."
By the end of the week, Smith raised almost $3,400 to help the struggling city with a $200 million budget deficit.
Three members of the University of Michigan basketball team stopped by, giving Smith and his friend signed shirts and hats — and paying $20 for juice. "I was so impressed right after I read the story," said U-M junior Jordan Morgan, 20, of Livonia. "I just felt like, if more people had a mind-set like Joshua, this world would be a better place."
A volunteer group, the Detroit Mower Gang, was impressed with the youngster's thoughtfulness and mowed two parks closest to Smith's home on Friday.
USA Today reports that the grass in the parks often grows taller than Smith, who stands nearly 5 feet tall.
Smith's efforts were rewarded by the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation: Smith will receive a $2,000 scholarship when he graduates from high school as long as he maintains an grade-point average of 2.5.
"Special consideration for a scholarship was given to Joshua because, at such a young age, he is an enterprising civic-minded young man who shares Mrs. Parks' spirit of service and commitment to building a brighter future in his community," foundation president Delora Hall Tyler told the Detroit Free Press.
Detroit mayor Dave Bing called Smith and encouraged him to save the lemonade-stand money to help pay for college, "but Joshua and his parents agreed that doing so would be disingenuous, when Joshua's primary goal was always to help his cash-strapped city." CBC News reports.
Nine-year-old
Isn't that the truth.
Last week, nine-year-old Joshua Smith, and his friend Dwayne Durant, 10, sold lemonade, fruit punch, water and popcorn near Smith's Detroit home. They were hoping to raise $1,000 to help Detroit's financial crisis.
"I heard the city was in crisis because the city is broke, and I was really upset," Joshua told USA Today.
He distributed fliers in his neighbourhood that read:
"May you please help the City of Detroit. Please buy this popcorn and drinks. It's not so expensive. I didn't make it expensive so you would have to spend all your money. The money will help clean up trash on the ground and cut the grass in the parks."
By the end of the week, Smith raised almost $3,400 to help the struggling city with a $200 million budget deficit.
Three members of the University of Michigan basketball team stopped by, giving Smith and his friend signed shirts and hats — and paying $20 for juice. "I was so impressed right after I read the story," said U-M junior Jordan Morgan, 20, of Livonia. "I just felt like, if more people had a mind-set like Joshua, this world would be a better place."
A volunteer group, the Detroit Mower Gang, was impressed with the youngster's thoughtfulness and mowed two parks closest to Smith's home on Friday.
USA Today reports that the grass in the parks often grows taller than Smith, who stands nearly 5 feet tall.
Smith's efforts were rewarded by the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation: Smith will receive a $2,000 scholarship when he graduates from high school as long as he maintains an grade-point average of 2.5.
"Special consideration for a scholarship was given to Joshua because, at such a young age, he is an enterprising civic-minded young man who shares Mrs. Parks' spirit of service and commitment to building a brighter future in his community," foundation president Delora Hall Tyler told the Detroit Free Press.
Detroit mayor Dave Bing called Smith and encouraged him to save the lemonade-stand money to help pay for college, "but Joshua and his parents agreed that doing so would be disingenuous, when Joshua's primary goal was always to help his cash-strapped city." CBC News reports.
Nine-year-old
Isn't that the truth.
