A 6-year-old girl turns lemonade into dozens of gifts for children around the country

When life hands you lemons, as the saying goes, you make lemonade. For a 6-year-old Atwater girl, lemons not only became a sweet treat, they allowed her to spread some holiday joy.

Each year, Kadence Stephens and her sister, Kassidy, 4, accompany their mother to donate items for Toys for Tots, the campaign led by the U.S. Marine Corps to gather toys for needy children, according to the girls’ mother, Crystal Stephens. This year, Kadence was determined to contribute toys using her own money.

She realized that she could raise the money she needed by setting up a lemonade stand.

“I thought it was a nice thing to do,” Kadence told the Sun-Star. “The people who don’t have toys can get some.”

Over the summer and fall months, Kadence set up five lemonade stands outside her Atwater home. Cup by cup, priced at 50 cents each, the little girl raised $260. That was enough to buy more than 60 toys for children around the country.

“It was pretty amazing. This is the first time she wanted to do this on this capacity,” Crystal Stephens said. “Anyone who knows her knows she has a giving heart.”

Knowing that the money would go toward gifts for children, Crystal Stephens said, many people gave more than the 50-cent price. Some even offered $5.

With the money raised, Kadence picked out journals and puzzles from Barnes & Noble that she thought kids would enjoy, her mother said. She also went to Target to buy Barbies, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, Play-Doh and a MiPosaur robotic dinosaur.

“She wants to make sure they have any little bit that she can give,” Crystal Stephens said. “Anything she can do, she will – even if it’s giving the last piece of candy to her sister.”

This past week, Kadence learned that students at Cesar E. Chavez Middle School in Planada were wrapping presents for younger children, Crystal Stephens said, and she wanted to help, too. On Wednesday, Kadence joined her uncle, Moises Onsurez, at the school to help with the gift wrapping.

“She’s got a super big heart,” Onsurez said. “She cares about everybody but her.”

When Kadence is older she wants to be a military veterinarian, she said, so she can help animals and be in the Army. Her favorite animal is a giraffe.

In her spare time, Kadence said she likes to bake cookies and make her favorite blueberry muffins. She also likes to play baseball and go to church with her family.

Kadence already is thinking about donating toys next year, and said she wants to have more lemonade stands in the future.

“It’s because I like helping people,” Kadence said.

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 4:05 PM with the headline "A 6-year-old girl turns lemonade into dozens of gifts for children around the country."