Kids Set Up Lemonade Stands Across Texas to Support Dallas Officers
— -- Seven-year-old Chloe Diaz has been selling lemonade in her home town of Wimberley, Texas.
But it isn't to buy a toy or some other trinket.
It's to raise money for the officers who were killed by a gunman in Dallas last Thursday.
Chloe, who wants to be a police officer or president when she grows up, is one of the children across Texas who are showing love to the families of the fallen officers in wake of the shooting by raising money in their own unique way.
"She is giving out free hugs and free cups of lemonade that say, 'God Bless America,'" Chloe's mom Brittany Perez told ABC News today. "We are humbled. We are overwhelmed and we just love that our daughter has such a giving heart. It's amazing that a 7-year-old is willing to sit outside for hours reading books and doing crossword puzzles, waiting for customers to come by."
Chloe has been raising money for Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors by selling lemonade. After her parents informed her of Thursday's shootings, she decided to begin raising funds for families of the victims. Once she hits her $600-dollar goal, the rest of her profits will go to support the Dallas Police Department, her mother said. She's about 80-percent of the way there now.
On Friday, six deputies showed up to enjoy a cool drink at Chloe's lemonade stand. The deputies showed Chloe and her siblings the inside of a deputy’s vehicle, according to ABC News affiliate KVUE in Austin.
“It means the world to us. It shows us that everybody is here for us, and I appreciate it, and we're here for them,” Precinct 3 Deputy Constable Ray Helm, told KVUE.
Each cup of Chloe's lemonade does not have a set price. With every donation, she serves a cup, Perez said.
“They save our country so that’s why I did that,” Chloe said.
In Burleson, Texas, a boy named Charlie Argo set up a lemonade stand at his house on Saturday and family friends put the word out, according to ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas. Neighbors donated lemonade mix and cookies and all of the proceeds went to the Russ Martin Listeners Foundation.
Charlie has raised $2,400 to be given to the families of the fallen officers, WFAA reports.
