Boy opens lemonade stand to help brother with muscular dystrophy

A two-boy operation at the Loblaws near Jane and Dundas streets could be Toronto’s most successful lemonade stand this summer.

But the Abu-Hewaydi brothers aren’t trying to raise money for a pair of skates or a Playstation – they’re trying to renovate their home.

Fifteen-year old Adam Abu-Hewaydi suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy. He uses a motorized wheel-chair to get around, but he can’t get around his home. The older, split-level home has narrow halls, narrow doorways, several stairs and lacks a wheelchair-accessible bathroom. He gets around by being lifted on a blanket by his uncles – when they are visiting. Otherwise, he is often confined to his bed.

The two boys are being raised by their aging grandmother; their mother died from a brain tumor seven years ago. On a fixed income, Gafra Abu-Hewaydi says there’s little she can do.

“I cry for my family and my grandson, I can’t help him,” she told CityNews.

The renovations that could make the home more accessible for Adam are expected to cost upwards of $100,000, far out of reach for Gafra Abu-Hewaydi.

But Adam’s nine-year old brother has come up with a plan.

“It’s been nine years that I’ve seen him struggling and I just can’t do it anymore, so I have to come up with some money for him,” Omar explained.

He and Adam made lemonade at home and started selling it in a nearby park. They earned $11 on their first day. But they did the math, and quickly realized they needed to be in a higher traffic area. That’s when Omar approached Loblaws.

“I talked to the assistant manager and asked if we could sell lemonade here and they said ‘okay’.”

The boys spent as much time as they could – sometimes up to seven hours a day when school was out – selling cups of lemonade at the Loblaws. Soon, staff at the store realized they could do much more.

“We’ve been supplying all the lemonade, the cups, everything they need in order to help them reach their goal,” assistant store manager Carly Auburger said. Every glass sold goes directly to their cause.

“Staff and customers are here every single day, even just to say hi to him. We visited him at Sick Kids when Adam broke his leg and brought him balloons. They’re a big part of the store now, we’re almost like a little family here,” Auburger said.

“Sales have been good,” Adam said with a smile. So far, the boys have raised more than $6,000 from customers.

“The public is so generous,” says Gafra. “I mean who can say they raised $6,000 from a lemonade stand?”

It’s a big accomplishment- but the boys are still tens of thousands of dollars shy of their target. The grocery chain is helping them get a lot closer to reaching that goal. Each of Toronto’s 30 Loblaws stores have committed $500 to Adam’s cause, while his home store will be donating up to $15,000 through the PC Children’s Charity Grant.

The Loblaws store located at 3671 Dundas St. W. will also be hosting a fundraising barbecue for Adam on Sept. 10, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

“We can’t stop now,” said Omar, who is pledging to sell as much lemonade as he can this weekend, before he returns to school on Tuesday.

Click here to donate to Adam, Omar and Gafra.