By Lindsay Doty
What started as a July lemonade stand in the front yard turned into a much bigger community project.
Brownsburg brothers Logan (7) and Austin Davis (6), along with the help of neighborhood friend Kyle Srader wanted to help their community.
“They wanted to do something nice for others,” explained Austin and Logan’s mother, Samantha Davis.
The Davis brothers had both spent time in the hospital over the last year for abdominal pain, so they got the idea to buy teddy bears for Hendricks Regional Health.
“They thought it would help kids in the hospital who are nervous or scared feel better,” Davis said.
So the boys got selling. Over two days, the Brown Elementary students sold 15 gallons of lemonade and a gallon of ice cream (for Root Beer floats).
“At that point, they raised $400 and the next day they woke and wanted to do it again,” explained Samantha Davis.
The lemonade stands raised $563. Their cousin, four-year-old Garrett Flannery, ran another stand at his house and pitched in $100.
The boys also gathered donations from area businesses. Walmart gave $250 for the cause and Crossroads Feed Barn added $50.
The kids ended up raising nearly $1000. They divided up the funds for several causes, including Hendricks Regional Health, Brownsburg Fire Territory and Brownsburg Police.
“We had no idea how big it was going to be. They were able to make donations that were significant enough to make a difference,” added Davis.
The family is currently waiting to deliver 80 plush bears to Hendricks Regional Health’s emergency department.
Last week, the kids presented Brownsburg Fire Territory with a check of $221 of their earnings.
The department says the money will be used to help fund the new Hendricks County Firefighters Rehabilitation Support Unit.
“So often, kids who visit us stand in awe of firefighters. This time, the firefighters stood in awe of the kids,” posted Brownsburg Fire Deputy Chief Ryan Miller.
The donations to the Brownsburg Police Department will help purchase dog food for the department’s K9 division.
The boys were excited to hang out with officers and take photos.
“Thank you, boys! We certainly appreciate the donation and thoughtfulness!” posted the Brownsburg Police Department.
“Oh my gosh, it was an amazing experience,” Samantha said. “There were so many lessons that wrapped into this. First, they were included in the process of buying stuff for the lemonade stand and helping grandpa build the lemonade stand. Then, there were also the life lessons of giving back to others and helping. As a parent, you are trying to teach them to take pride in their community and help to make it better.”