Luc's Lemonade Stand Fundraising For Middlebury Firefighters

MIDDLEBURY, CT — For four years, now 12-year-old Lucas Oskwarek has spent Fourth of July at his frozen lemonade stand, often with his dog, Boston Terrier Bailey, as his sidekick.

On Independence Day 2019, Lucas stayed open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to serve his community for as long as possible. He only does his lemonade stand for one day. He made just over $300 that day.

Lucas' father Noah said his son gets his entrepreneurial spirit from his grandfather, Stanley “Stosh” Oskwarek, who created Stosh's Kettle Corn, the salty-sweet treat found in Whole Foods and Tractor Supply stores throughout New England.

Lucas had hoped to open this year too but the coronavirus pandemic scuttled that plan.

Undaunted, Lucas decided to do what everyone's had to do: go virtual. And, do something good for his community at the same time.

"We are in this together," he wrote on his GoFundMe page that hopes to raise $1,000 for the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department.

"Dear Friends,

I'm sorry I'm not able to provide you with my frozen lemonade this year due to the pandemic. So I thought I could use my platform to try to help the local community during this crisis. This year I'm donating every penny raised to help the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department. These heroes are on the front line every day, so I hope I can help them during this very difficult time.

Thanks so much for viewing my page and hope to see you all again soon!"

The goal is $1,000 and as of Wednesday, Lucas was halfway there.

The Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department is dedicated to serving the community by responding to emergencies that immediately threaten life or property, to routine citizen requests for information or assistance, and performing duties in fire suppression, emergency medical aid or rescue and hazardous material responses.

The all-volunteer organization, staffed primarily by Middlebury neighbors, are highly-trained firefighters and EMT's who work under the supervision of Fire Chief Brett Kales. The fire department responds to ,1300 emergency calls annually including fires, motor vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, rescues, fire alarms and requests for assistance.

During the worst of the pandemic outbreak this spring, the fire department held regular parades throughout the community as it noted, like Lucas, "We're all in this together.""

In another recent Facebook post, the fire department, when asked, said it did not have a GoFundMe or donation page but can use all the support it can get nonetheless.

Lucas is on it, Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department.

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