Survival stand
12-year-old selling beverage to pay the bills
Published Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Video
12 year old Daniel Bobence and his mother Brenda talk about what Daniel is doing to help out their family Watch »
Most kids setting up lemonade stands aren’t worried about meeting a bottom line.
That’s not the case for 12-year-old Daniel Bobence.
Every day around noon, Daniel packs up his lemonade stand supplies and heads down to Friberg Avenue, across from the middle school, and sets up shop.
An orange sign goes up first. A card table, a jar for money and seven jugs of various Kool-Aid flavors follow.
For the next six hours, Daniel has one thing on his mind; raising money so his mom can pay the bills.
His mom, Brenda Bobence, was diagnosed seven years ago with Fibromyalgia, a disorder known to cause fatigue and chronic pain throughout the body. And while she’s tried time and time again to obtain Social Security, she has yet to receive aid. She’s currently in the appeals process, and is waiting on yet another ruling.
In February of this year, the pain reached new levels, rendering her unable to continue her job at United Way, she said.
Since then, it’s been an uphill battle to generate enough income to pay for the basics.
She’s contacted area non-profits like Salvation Army, Wadena Community Outreach, United Way and her church to make up for lost income, but because of increased demand and decreased funding, they’re unable to help, she said.
After watching his mom struggle, Daniel decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Although he’d rather be spending his time acting like a kid, he says he really has no choice but to help them get back on track.
“No one else seems to be helping her,” Daniel said.
It’s Daniel’s third year working the lemonade stand. Last year, he was able to save money for a cell phone. This year, it’s a whole different scenario.
On Wednesday, Daniel and his mother expect to have their electric and gas shut off. And unless things get better, their water will soon follow.
While he understands that the Kool-Aid stand might not be a cure-all for the problem, Daniel is hoping it gets them that much closer to paying the bills.
On an average six-hour day, Daniel brings in about $25. That means that in one week, trusting the weather holds out, he’s earning around $175.
That’s about $4.17 an hour. And although that may not be much, he says it’s worth the work.
“If it involves taking care of bills, then I’ll do it,” Daniel said.