Brilio.net/en - 9-year-old Tristan Jacobson has faced more challenges and hardship than most adults ever face. But he refuses to focus on the lemons life handed him, and makes lemonade instead. Literally.
The Missouri-based third-grader spent weekends in a family front yard's stand, selling lemonade to raise money in his effort to help pay his own adoption. Last weekend, Friday and Saturday, he sat in front of the home, in which he lives with Donnie and Jimmy Davis in Springfield, selling $1 lemonade.
Image viaabcnews.go.com
Thank you for helping our adoption, Tristan thanked the customers as he handed them a drink while guardian Donnie Davis watched him.
The Davis have been Tristans kinship guardians since he was five. His biological parents were unable to care for him, and he was placed under their care.
The couple intended to adopt Tristan but were halted due to the high legal fees required for the adoption. So to make his status in the family official, Donnie and Jimmy decided to run some fundraising efforts and collect money.
That weekend, according to The Springfield News-Leader, Tristan can be seen patiently sitting in front of his home in Springfield and mixing up cups of lemonade to be offered to the passersby.
Image viaabcnews.go.com
She will be my parent, he said as he pointed to Donnie. I'm happy because I have a new mom who loves me.
Donnie has managed to collect $7,100 from the lemonade stand and a weekend yard sale. Nearly $10,000 been donated via "Tristan's Adoption Fund" on YouCaring.com in recent weeks to assist with the adoption legal fees.
Image viaabcnews.go.com
There're not enough words to say 'thank you' to everyone, said Donnie, noting that she and her husband love Tristan as if hes their own son.
They want to adopt him because the adoption is more for reassurance for him, knowing that he has his forever family and he has our name.
We hope Tristan will soon have his official family who loves him dearly.
(brl/red)
