SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (WHNT) — A lemonade stand is a good way for children to make money, but the purpose behind 7-year-old Emouree Johnson’s lemonade stand is much deeper.
The sales the second grader collected from her stand last week were set to go toward a tombstone for her mother, Karli, who died in March at the age of 29.
“I didn’t know just making a little lemonade would bring this many people to my house,” Emouree told NewsNation affiliate WHNT. “It’s fun, but it’s unbelievable at the same time.”
Emouree, who began selling her signature drinks last week in Scottsboro, Alabama, quickly reached $10,000, according to her grandmother, Jennifer Bordner. After a social media post about the lemonade stand, Bordner says the community donated the tombstone and hundreds came by to grab the “Emouree special.”
“It’s helping her heal, I know her momma is looking down on her and is so happy,” said Bordner, who described her daughter Karli as a kind-hearted person who would light up a room with her smile.
Bordner tells WHNT she’s grateful for the Jackson County community and that the ongoing donations will help support Emouree’s future.
“I’ve just been amazed and have cried happy tears, felt a peaceful and happiness because everybody came to support my little granddaughter,” Bordner said. “That’s what I wanted the most for her, to not be heartbroken because that’s my world.”
Emouree says beauty and makeup are her passions and she hopes to one day become a YouTube star. Family members explained how the second grader’s world was rocked after her mother died, but the lemonade stand is her way of honoring her mother Karli.
“I hope my daughter can see how amazing this is and how especially wonderful her daughter is,” Bordner told WHNT. “Thank you to everyone and thank God because this was one of the most painful things I ever experienced, and this community has helped me.”