Thomasville brothers give back to community through lemonade stand

THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WCTV) – What started out as a summer job for Neil Wise has transitioned into an opportunity for he and his friends to give back to the community.

Neil said his summer started off a little slow just hanging out at home. He decided to start a lemonade stand in front of his home and things quickly evolved.

“We’re out here selling BBQ sandwiches, chips, cookies, water and lemonade,” he said.

Neil, his brother J.C., and friends Thomas and William Casper have now banded together to sell a variety of items in addition to their classic and pink lemonade. The boys had a successful turnout weeks ago when they first raised money to donate to the Thomasville Humane Society.

“We raised enough money to provide three heart worm treatments to the animals at the humane society,” said William.

William shared that it feels good being a part of a group making such a difference in the community, which is why he, his brother and parents were on board to set up the stand once again.

Throughout the week, the boys prepared Boston butts, which were donated by a local chef, who also volunteered to show the boys how to smoke the meat. This time, the proceeds were dedicated to the boys’ aunt, Rebecca Sanders.

“She has cancer and so this is going toward her chemo treatment,” explained JC.

Sanders was diagnosed with leukemia and is receiving treatment in Atlanta. The Wise brother said their aunt knew about their plans to raise money for her and was very moved by their actions.

The people of Thomasville were also touched by the boys’ efforts, and have continued to show the boys support with each stand.

“We sold out in the first 20 minutes the first time, and then last time we got more, but we still sold out, so this time, we made like 180 sandwiches,” said JC.

According to Amy Terry Casper, William and Thomas’ mom, the boys raised $4,900 for Sanders and are planning to set up their stand again later in July.

The boys all shared the same consensus when it comes to their summer so far. What started out as your average lemonade stand has turned into a way for the group of friends to support their community in any way they can.

Thomas said, “Our first lemonade stand we were just trying to get some money and then we realized how much the community gave back to us, so we decided to give back to the community.”

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