Cami and Kate, two fourth graders, walked into Raphael House one evening laughing and holding a small white envelope. They happily explained that they recently held a lemonade stand and wanted to donate all of their profits to helping families at Raphael House. The girls had sold cookies along with the lemonade and raised about $40. The two friends said they knew they wanted to donate the money they made at the lemonade stand to a homeless shelter because they see a lot of homeless people on their street and often times the same people day-to-day. 
Two weeks later, Cami and Kate returned to take a tour of Raphael House with Cami’s mom, and excitedly they handed us another envelope of money, this one from their second lemonade stand. Walking through the house the girls asked question after question, eager to learn as much as possible about what we did. They went back and forth explaining why they decided to donate their hard-earned money and how they chose Raphael House. The first graders at their elementary school had held a book drive earlier this year to stock our new children’s library, and having heard of us before, they knew this is where they wanted to bring their lemonade money. 
The girls left after their tour with lots of answers, giggles, and the promise of more lemonade stands in the future. Thank you Cami and Kate for for your generosity and hard work! —Emma Freese, Residential Community Intern