Normally, lemonade stands are a fun way for kids to pass the time in summer. The money made from these stands is usually enough to pay for a Slurpee or some candy at the general store. But 9-year-old Tristan Jacobs set up a lemonade stand for an entirely different purpose.
The young boy from Missouri used his lemonade stand as a way to pay for his own adoption.
Before he was rescued, Tristan Jacobs had a hard life, enduring abuse, poverty, and ultimately abandonment by his mother.He was abandoned outside a homeless shelter in 17-degree weather and taken in by Donnie Davis and her husband Jimmy, friends of the family.
A year after his mother left him, Jacobs is in the process of being legally adopted by Jimmie and Donnie.
The adoption will cost about $5,000 in legal fees, so Tristan decided to help raise the funds by setting up a lemonade stand selling lemonade, cookies, and bottled water.
Rather than getting $5,000, Tristan raised an incredible $7,100 in one day from neighbors and passersby. In total, the young boy received $14,000 in donations to go toward his adoption.
Donnie and Jimmy are incredibly grateful for the kindness they have seen from neighbors and strangers. Donnie stated, “There’s not enough words to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has shown us support or given us donations.”
Donnie added, “Everyone has made this possible. We will make sure this child will forever be ours.” After the fees of the adoption are taken care of, the Davis family will use the remainder of the donations for Tristan’s education.
For his part, little Tristan can’t wait to be adopted by Donnie, Jimmy, and their family. Speaking of Donnie, the 9-year-old stated, “I know she’s responsible for taking care of me, and I know she’s going to be a great mother.”
While he may not have expected it, Tristan’s lemonade stand changed his life.
