Life

This Lemonade Stand Will Touch Your Heart

by Elizabeth Ballou

June 26 marks one of the biggest Pride parades in the world: the New York City Gay Pride Parade. As I write this, it's processing down Fifth Avenue and will eventually end at Christopher and Bleecker Streets around 6 p.m. tonight. The floats are elaborate; the parade-goers are decked out; the music is loud. But those aren't the only things worth noticing. If you see one thing, make sure it's the "3 Boys Lemonade" stand on Fifth Avenue and East 11th Street. First spotted by The New York Times, it's a lemonade stand set up by three boys, with a sign in front of them declaring that the lemonade sales will go to the victims of the Orlando shooting.

Four-year-old Finn Madden, three-year-old Dean Haines, and four-year-old Sam Bernstein wanted to get involved in the Pride parade — and they're doing so in the most heartwarming way possible. They've put out a table with a sign saying "3 Boys Lemonade" and are selling glasses of lemonade for $1 each. Despite their young age (they're the youngest activists I've ever heard of), they understand what they're raising money for. Finn's mother told The New York Times that her son said, "Well of course people should be able to marry whomever they want."

What? No. I'm not crying because that's so adorable. You're crying. It's definitely you.

Anyway, if you're on your way to the Pride parade right now, make sure to stop by and grab a glass of lemonade! It's sweltering out there, and the crowds aren't going to make the temperature any more tolerable.

As of Sunday afternoon, the boys had already received a $20 tip (which makes them the envy of bartenders everywhere), but you can try to best that number if you're in the area. What with the NYC parade's tribute to Orlando and the celebratory, yet commemorative atmosphere, this is the perfect way to make a donation towards helping the Orlando community heal.

Images: landersb/Pixabay; tumblr