As search and rescue efforts, aid distribution, and emergency resources sweep across central Texas in the aftermath of deadly floods over the July 4th weekend, even the youngest of residents are playing a part.
In the wake of the devastating loss of an estimated 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, young Texans are serving up support for the camp and the families most affected by the catastrophic floods.
How are they doing it? Lemonade stands.
In Harris County, Texas, a local law enforcement office shared a Facebook post about an “inspirational teen,” Brylee Livesay, whom Constable Terry Allbritton stumbled upon while on patrol in the teen’s neighborhood.
As the post describes, the 14-year-old opened a lemonade stand to support those most impacted by the floods at Camp Mystic.
“Brylee raised more than $600 — all of which is going directly to help flood victims,” the Harris County precinct wrote in the social media post. “Her compassion and drive set a powerful example for us all.”
Courtney Birdsong, a realtor in Lake Jackson, Texas, posted a photo of her kids, “the Birdsong babies,” at their own lemonade stand over the weekend.
“All proceeds and donations will go to the camps affected by the Guadalupe River flooding,” she wrote, adding that her son is a Camp La Junta attendee, a boys’ camp near Camp Mystic.
“We are just heartbroken over the devastation in Hunt, Texas,” she continued. “Please continue to pray for Camp Mystic and all the families affected.”
Following in the footsteps of the Birdsongs is the family of Omari Armstrong Woodard, whose sons also felt empowered to set up a lemonade stand, with a goal of raising $1,000.
“Our great state of Texas is hurting, and now is the time to step up for one another. The Woodard boys are doing their part to help families impacted by the recent flooding at Camp Mystic,” Woodard wrote in a Facebook post, crediting Birdsong for the idea.
Later in the day, she updated her post to reflect that the boys were just a couple hundred dollars shy of their goal.
“Let’s show what community, compassion, and Texas heart really mean,” she said.
Then there’s Shan, son of Anjali Patel, who whipped up a speedy lemonade stand with his mom for her birthday, which she said was “the perfect opportunity to teach my son about giving back.”
His lemonade stand raised funds for therapeutic services provided to Camp Mystic families affected by the flood. She also encouraged direct donations to a GoFundMe that would cover the therapy costs for survivors and families connected to Camp Mystic. So far, the fundraiser has already generated over $350,000 in donations.
“Every donation helps,” Anjali concluded in her post. “Thank you for your support.”
Perhaps the most notable of the lemonade stand efforts comes from Corrigan and Cannon Camp, 9-year-old twins in Fort Worth, Texas, who raised more than $5,000 for Camp Mystic in the weekend of the floods.
Corrigan attended Camp Mystic for two weeks in June, while Cannon attended Camp La Junta around the same time. When they heard about the floods, Cannon asked what the family could do to help and decided on a lemonade stand.
The twins stood outside for about six hours over the weekend, as generous neighbors — and cups of refreshing cheer — poured in quickly.
“I feel like a lot of people, like, care for Mystic and how damaged it is,” Corrigan told NBC News.
“It made me feel good because we’re donating money to the camp,” Cannon added.
Lisa Camp, the kids’ mother, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that she was in communication with camp leadership to figure out the best place to donate the money to have the greatest impact.
“The … community really showed up,” Lisa said. “It was just incredible. Everybody was so friendly and wanted to talk and to share how they were affected and just kind of grieve together, even though we’re strangers.”
Header images courtesy of Courtney Birdsong and Lisa Camp
