10-year-old Oconomowoc boy fundraises more than $5,000 for Children's Wisconsin, HAWS

On a quiet Friday morning in Oconomowoc, 10-year-old Camden Hoeft hustled to pour lemonade and talk to customers at his weekend stand.

By Sunday night, Camden had raised about $5,300 for the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS).

“He loves it and he gets so excited and he says thank you to everyone, but I don't think he realizes just how big it is,” said his stepmom, Jen Wallace. “I don't think he truly understands just the extent of like people's hearts that he's touched.”

Camden is no stranger to fundraising. In the past two years, he and his family hosted another lemonade stand, which raised about $3,400, along with two Christmas toy drives for Children’s Wisconsin.

Wallace said the stand began in 2021 when Camden wanted a new bow and arrow, so she and his dad suggested a lemonade stand as a way to raise the funds. The lemonade stand is free, but Camden has a box for cash donations and his Venmo address listed as well.

Within a few hours, they exceeded their goal, and Camden continued working the lemonade stand through the weekend, donating the rest of the money to Wisconsin Children’s Hospital.

“We were completely shocked at the amount of people that came up. The mayor came out, the aldermen, the fire department, those police officers. People from Montana were sending him money,” Wallace said. “It was just so crazy to see such a small community come together and make this kid's goal.”

Camden, well-spoken in his transactions at the lemonade stand, said he has grown more confident since he has worked these fundraisers, even gaining friends from the neighbors he has met.

“Before this, I was kind of shy, quiet, didn’t want to talk to anyone,” Camden said. “But now I can talk, and I feel much better.”

A steady stream of customers attended the stand, whether they were just happened on the stand or had heard about it from Wallace’s Facebook post. Camden said his goal this year was to raise about $5,000, and he surpassed it by Sunday night.

Oconomowoc friends and neighbors have followed his fundraising efforts, consistently supporting his lemonade stand through Venmo, cash or other donations.

Jamie Jewett, a family friend, donated lemonade and water for the weekend. She planned to spend Friday morning and early afternoon out in the front yard at camden's home, sitting with his parents to support the lemonade stand and help Camden out if need be.

“Camden’s such a good kid, I just wanted to help out and be here to support him,” shesaid.

Camden’s lemonade stand was open Friday to Sunday, and Wallace said they are looking forward to next year. His Venmo account is @camden-hoeft, for those looking to donate virtually.

“We do really appreciate everyone following his journey,” Wallace said. “A lot of people when we're out and about, they're like, ‘Oh, you're the lemonade stand boy.’ It's so cool that people recognize him and recognize what he's doing.”

Lydia Morrell can be reached at 320-444-2339 or lmorrell@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @lydia_morrell. 

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 10-year-old Oconomowoc boy raises more than $5,000 through lemonade