Sweet Drinks for an Even Sweeter Cause

7-year-old Charlotte Norwood has lofty goals for the little lemonade stand in front of her house at the corner of Southwestern Boulevard and Hillcrest Road.

The incoming second grader at Boone Elementary wants to raise $8,000 for the Tabitha Outreach Foundation Academy, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of orphans, widows and the fatherless in southwest Kenya.

And she’s already more than halfway there. Charlotte has raised almost $6,000 thanks to a generous $5,000 donation and a weekend of work in the heat with her family and friends.

Charlotte plans to open her lemonade stand again from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, and from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. She may also open up shop in front of her home during the week. Lemonade is free, and donations to the Tabitha Outreach Foundation Academy are welcome.

“I wanted to help the orphans and everyone,” Charlotte said, adding that she hopes the children are able to find homes.

This is Charlotte’s third year of operating a lemonade stand for a good cause. Her efforts started when the then 5-year-old overheard as her grandfather, Bill Walker, received a call from Operation Care International about the plight of Ukrainian orphans.

“I want to help,” he remembers her saying. “I can sell lemonade.”

Charlotte and helpers raised $1,960 for Operation Care International that first year. Last year, their fundraising topped $2,000, Walker said. He explained that Charlotte and her family were inspired to help the Tabitha Outreach Foundation Academy this year after hearing about its work from a visiting minister at church.

“Charlie’s kind. And her friends are kind to come and do these things,” he said. “And the people that stop are kind to stop and provide the help for those that need it.”

Click HERE to learn more about the Tabitha Outreach Foundation Academy.