Some Kid Made $3,000 Off A Lemonade Stand (For Detroit)

While some The Daily Meal staffers may have excellent success stories about lemonade stands (resulting in summer trips to Paris), most of us rarely made more than $10 off our pre-teen experiments. So naturally, imagine our surprise when NewsTalk Cleveland reported that a 9-year-old made $3,000 off his lemonade stand.

According to reports, 9-year-old Joshua Smith decided to raise $1,000 to help Detroit City Council out of their budget deficit. "He wondered why he couldn't walk up the street to the park," Smith's mother told Examiner, saying Smith wanted a clean place for kids to play in the city.

The menu? $1 water, $1.50 lemonade and punch, and organic sea salt popcorn (look at him being gourmet!) for $1, $1.50, and $2 a bag. As word of his mission spread, donations came in and Smith ultimately raised $3,340 for the city.

Naturally, Smith has earned an award for outstanding achievement from Detroit City Council, as well as a $2,000 college scholarship from the Rosa L. Parks Scholarship Foundation. Who knew lemonade was so profitable?