Lemonade stand to help boy with muscular dystrophy will carry on during school year
Posted September 7, 2016 6:17 pm.
Last Updated September 7, 2016 7:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Adam and Omar Abu-Hewaydi have been selling lemonade inside a west-end Loblaws all summer, and just because they’re back at school, doesn’t mean they’ll stop.
“We can’t stop now,” nine-year-old Omar explains.
They can’t stop because their dream is starting to look more like a possible reality.
Unlike most entrepreneurial kids, the boys aren’t selling drinks in hopes of buying a toy. They want to transform their out-dated house with narrow hallways into a wheelchair accessible home.
Fifteen-year-old Adam suffers from muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.
“We put him in a blanket and carry him up the stairs,” the boys’ grandmother Gafra Abu-Hewaydi told CityNews last week.
Video: Brothers turn to lemonade stand to raise money for home renovations. Click here to watch the video on mobile.
The kids aim to raise around $90,000 to install an elevator, wheelchair accessible bathroom and make necessary renovations so Adam’s wheelchair can actually fit through the doorways and halls.
Government funding is available but there’s a lifetime cap of $15,000, which wouldn’t even be enough for the bathroom.
Since his story first aired, Adam’s gofundme page has grown by more than $12,000. Last weekend, the boys earned more than $10,000 at their lemonade stand – with one donor dropping off a cheque for $5,000.
Adam and Omar pledge to return to their lemonade stand at the Dundas and Jane streets area Loblaws after school and everyday until they reach their goal.
A fundraising barbecue will also be held at the grocery store, located at 3671 Dundas Street West, on Sept. 10 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
