Brayden wanted to raise money for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation to be used for research. He and his younger brother, Ashton, decided to sell water from their driveway. A close family friend saw them and felt sorry for them so they came over with some lemonade mix to add to the water. All the neighbors from their small cul-de-sac stopped and bought some. The boys ended up raising $12. They were thrilled.

Well, the lemonade stand turned into a much bigger deal, thanks to the outpouring of support from the community. With the help of the Washingtonville Community Events Team, Betty’s Country Kitchen, J. Hoffman Insurance, and Hudson Heritage Realty, Brayden’s Lemonade stand debuted at the Aug. 24 Date Night at Vern Allen Park. Brayden sold his lemonade for a $1 a cup and many visitors told him to keep the change. He in turn let them come back for refills. Brayden raised just under $650. Both the water and the lemonade mix were donated.

The stand was so popular, Brayden was invited to set up again at the upcoming Witchingtonville 2018 event at Vern Allen Park on Oct., 20, where thousands are expected to attend. Looks like Brayden’s going to need a bigger stand!

If you would like to donate to Brayden’s cause, attend the Oct. 20 Witchingtonville 2018 event at Vern Allen Park in Washingtonville or if you cannot attend you can mail your donation to Brayden Thew, 9 McNamara Dr., Campbell Hall 10916.

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A beautiful summer night wouldn’t be complete without lemonade. And the Washingtonville community wouldn’t be itself unless it came out in droves to support a child’s stand.

On the Aug. 24 Date Night of this summer’s season, $642 was raised for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation through Washingtonville resident Brayden Thew, who served regular and pink lemonade with all of the proceeds going to the foundation that helped save his life. “Brayden was diagnosed at 11 days old with hydrocephalus,” his mom Cassandra said, “an incurable brain condition, and had seven brain surgeries by the time he was five years old. The Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation had given us a tight community when we felt so alone and had become like family to us.” So when Brayden held a small lemonade stand on his road this summer and wanted to give the full $12 he had made to the foundation, his mom was floored — and thought about how to grow the idea.

Which is when the community immediately stepped in and the Washingtonville Community Events Team, Betty’s Country Kitchen, J. Hoffman Insurance, and Hudson Heritage Realty all worked to make this idea a reality by suggesting Brayden set up his stand at the last Date Night of the season at Vern Allen Park (and providing the resources to do so), where children and adults played and socialized, and even danced for prizes, as tunes were spun by Washingtonville’s own Jeffrey Blizard of That’s EnterTOONment until the outdoor movie, Despicable Me 3, was played and gallons of lemonade was enjoyed by everyone.

Congratulations to Brayden, his family, and the Washingtonville community for just being itself and supporting a child and a cause. For more information on hydrocephalus, go to http://www.HydrocephalusKids.org.

The closing Date Night of the season will be in September (date to be determined) as a rescheduling of the one evening in July that had been rained out.

CAPTION 1: Brayden Thew serves up the sweet stuff to a customer at last week’s Date Night in Washingtonville. (Photo by Eugenia Moskowitz)

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