TYLER, Texas — Setting up a stand and selling fresh-squeezed lemonade is a summer tradition for many kids, but for one young East Texas girl, it's about raising money for those in her community who are in need.
Rosie and her friends on the Ladybugs little league soccer team will be operating a lemonade stand on Wednesday. They are looking to raise as much money for the East Texas Crisis Center as they can.
The center is a safe haven for those needing refuge from family violence, dating violence, sexual assault and crime.
It underwent some heavy damages during the winter storm in February and they are still suffering the effects. The storm caused a power outage at the center causing pipes to freeze over and burst. Water flooded many rooms, damaged walls, and stopped face-to-face interactions with the people they serve.
The center was able to reopen two weeks ago with many renovations that still need to take place.
"We're basically working to cover the cost of many things that were not covered by insurance due to depreciation," Jeremy Cozad, Rosie's father, said. "Things like paint, carpet, and some of the rooms that weren't fully damaged, still had to be taken care of. We couldn't just leave them partially reconstructed."
Rosie was inspired to host a lemonade stand after her sister's successful run last year. Her sister was able to raise $10,000 for the East Texas Crisis Center to construct a brand-new ADA-compliant playground.
The lemonade stand will be at Haute Totz located at 4815 Old Bullard Rd. from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.