Two young girls handed out more than just a refreshing drink at their lemonade stand Friday — they gave their Dallas community a sense of purpose.
In an effort to help after last week's police ambush, in which five police officers were killed, Lauren Roach and Landry Nelon, both 11, hoped to raise $100 to donate to the Assist the Officer Foundation, which provides financial assistance to families of fallen police officers.
Within minutes, they surpassed their goal and ended up giving a total of $10,000 to the Dallas Police Department Monday.
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"It felt really good to know I was making a difference and that almost all of Dallas was doing the same," Lauren told TODAY. "So many people wanted to help and even if they didn't have time to stop, a lot would hand us money through their window."
"Most people happened to be driving by, but once word spread on social media, we saw all types of people, ranging from college students and yard workers to someone who drove 30 minutes just to drop off money," Tracey Roach, Lauren's mom, told TODAY.
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With signs that read "Honk if you love DPD" and "All proceeds donated to DPD," they attracted more than 500 people who all had one thing in common: a desire to support their city.
"It was an overwhelming feeling to see all these people come out, especially after all the tragedy our community has faced in recent days," Roach said.
Since Friday was such a success, the girls decided to continue the effort on Saturday. They enlisted their friends, Emmy and Lily Roberts, to help out, and even asked their moms bake cookies and brownies to sell as well.
"As proud as I am of the girls for thinking of others and wanting to help, I'm even prouder of the city," Roach said.