Savannah's Lemonade Stand Helps Kids at Shriners Hospitals for Children

When the Baker family decided to adopt Savannah, they could not begin to guess what blessings the little girl would bring to their lives, and to the lives of others.

In August 2008, five-year-old Savannah started talking about building a lemonade stand to raise money for toys and necessities for children. She told her mother, Jeannie, that she did not know where she wanted the money to go, but as soon as she knew, she would tell everyone.

The following month, Savannah was scheduled for surgery at Shriners Hospitals for Children— Lexington, where she has been a patient since she was a little over a year old. During her hospitalization, Savannah made up her mind about her lemonade stand.

She wanted the children at Shriners Hospitals for Children to benefit from her project.

Savannah told everyone about her project: her church, a local radio station and the Breathitt County Shrine Club. Each time she spoke about her project, people wanted to know how they could help.

"From the night of her surgery until the day she had her lemonade stand, she prayed God would bless her stand,” said Jeannie.

After a lot of effort and almost a year later, the stand was ready for customers at a nearby park. Savannah did not feel well that morning, but insisted she had to be there. She may have opened for business with only three gallons of lemonade, but she had high hopes. At the end of the day, her sales totaled $760.

As she and her family counted the money they raised, Savannah thought about the three gallons of lemonade and told her mother, “You know, it’s just like the story at church about the five loaves and two fishes.”

During her next appointment at the hospital, Savannah proudly presented a giant check to Janet Walker, M.D., her pediatric orthopedist, who thanked her for her generosity on behalf of the hospital.

Savannah's family is also thankful, “We are so proud of Savannah and so grateful for the help we have received for her from Shriners Hospitals for Children," said Jeannie. "We are blessed!”