GREAT KIDS: 8-year-old runs lemonade stand to help the homeless

HAMDEN, CT (WFSB) - When Penelope Jordan from Hamden first noticed the homeless around street corners or along rundown buildings, it hit her different.

“We would just see them standing on the corners. She was always like can we just stop and help,” said her mom, Pamela Jordan. “She would stop and give them a dollar, 2 dollars. Do you have any cash on you?”

For her birthday she had an idea, and it wasn’t a typical birthday party.

“When I was little, I was turning 6 and wanted to do a lemonade stand,” said Penelope. “I want to give the money to people that don’t have homes.”

She told her parents her idea and that’s what they helped her do.

“It blew up,” said her dad Michael Jordan. “We put a post of week before on next door and our Facebook page, and it blew up.”

That year, the lemonade stand made more than $2,000.

Around 40 percent of that was matched by her Best Buy where her dad works.

“I remember that I made a lot of money, and I gave it to the homeless shelter,” said Penelope.

All of the money was donated to the Columbus House in Hamden, and Penelope even got a tour the next year.

Once again, Penelope used her birthday last year and this year to again raise money for the homeless using her lemonade stand.

She raised more than 3-thousand-dollars last year.

And this year, with Best Buy’s 40 percent match again she collected her highest total yet of more than $5,700.

“This is her thing now. Her sisters and little brother are very supportive about it,” said Michael. “I’m excited to see that this is Penelope’s thing.”

At now 8-years old, Penelope said she wants to make every birthday every year an act of giving back.

Penelope said, “we should all help the community.”

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