Yes, you read that headline correctly. 9-year-old Tristan Jacobson recently set up a lemonade stand to raise money for his own adoption. He spent last Friday and Saturday selling lemonade for $1 in order to allow his kinship guardians to legally adopt him. His guardians, Donnie Davis and her husband, also hosted a yard sale at their Springfield, Missouri home so the family could raise $5,000 for legal fees.
Tristan, now in 3rd grade, described how Donnie Davis helped raise him since he was just 3 months old, stating:
“I’m happy because I have a new mom who loves me. I know she’s responsible, taking care of me, I know she’s going to be a great mother.”
Of course, Donnie and her husband, Jimmy, already consider themselves Tristan’s parents, stating:
“It means everything. He is absolutely our son. He is in our hearts. This is more for reassurance for him, knowing that he has his forever family, and he has our name.”
Sadly, in 2012, Tristan’s biological mom left him, then 5, on the doorstep of a shelter, according to KYTV, as she struggled with drug addiction. Since the Davis’ had already been part of his life at that point, the shelter called them–and Donnie and her husband became his kinship guardians. She explained:
“I was scared to death. If he was scared, if he was hurt, what was going on through his mind?
In mine and my husband’s hearts, that’s our son. Nobody can tell us any different. That is our son. He wants to be legally ours.”
Luckily, the yard sale and lemonade stand helped raise $7,100 combined. Tristan’s story also gained attention nationally, which prompted the family to set up an online fundraiser on YouCaring.com. So far, $8,410 has been donated through the site, which Donnie is grateful for:
“There’s not enough words to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has shown support or given us donations. Everyone has made this possible. We will make sure this child will forever be ours.”
We hope Tristan’s adoption goes smoothly, because he deserves nothing less.
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