The attention and accolades just haven't stopped coming to Joshua Smith, the 9-year-old Detroit boy who's trying to help the city emerge from a financial crisis by selling organic lemonade, fruit punch, water and popcorn -- sizes small, medium and BIG!Joshua plans "to ask city officials to use the proceeds from his kiosk to maintain a park and playground near the family's home."
He has been attracting attention since Monday, when he set up his lemonade stand outside his home in the Russell Woods neighborhood on the city's west side.
Joshua set a $1,000 goal. By Wednesday, he topped it.
Then he set a $2,000 goal. By Thursday, he topped that, too -- gaining $2,175.64.
By the end of Friday, Joshua had made a $3,392.77 profit, and donations continued to come in Saturday, said his mom, Rhonda Smith.
Plus, the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation announced Friday that when Joshua graduates high school, it will give him a $2,000 scholarship, as long as he graduates with a grade point average of at least 2.5.
..."I'm just getting a lot of support, and that makes me feel good," Joshua said.
There was even more support: A caravan of tractor trailers from a volunteer group called the Detroit Mower Gang came into Joshua's neighborhood Friday and mowed the two parks closest to his home.
Tom Nardone, 42, of Birmingham started the group two years ago because he was looking for volunteer opportunities and heard about the city being unable to mow city parks.
There were more volunteers than ever for Joshua, he said: a dozen volunteers and eight tractors.
That is a young man who wields a mighty teaspoon.
[Via TDW.]
