When 5-year-old Edison Juel heard about a wildfire on Hawaii’s island of Maui, he decided to start a lemonade stand. Eddie hoped to raise money for the people affected by the August 2023 fire. But he and his parents never dreamed that he’d be able to raise $17,000!

Eddie and his family were on vacation on Hawaii’s Big Island when they heard about the fire, which affected the town of Lahaina. By the time firefighters were able to extinguish the flames, many homes and businesses had been destroyed. All around the U.S., people rushed to help. They donated supplies and money. After the Juel family returned to their home in Seattle, Washington, Eddie came up with the idea for his lemonade stand.

With his parents’ help, Eddie set up on the stand on the street near his home. In addition to lemonade, Eddie sold ice pops and ice cream sandwiches. He also decided to sell some of his toys.

Eddie’s mom, Ami Juel, made a post on social media showing the stand with a big sign reading, “Lemonade for Lahaina.” Soon people were lined up in their cars to buy refreshments. A cup of lemonade cost one dollar. Some people gave Eddie more than that because they knew it was all for a good cause. People who couldn’t travel to the lemonade stand sent donations online.

“Most people were like, ‘This is so cool. What a great idea. We’ve been looking for ways to help,’” Ami Juel told USA Today.

The stand was open for one day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but people kept donating online long after that. Eddie has raised more than $17,000 for the people of Maui.

“[Eddie’s] generosity invited others to be generous,” Ami said.