Lemonade stand honoring North Texas toddler gets a major upgrade

McKINNEY – Many people had their own lemonade stand on the corner to earn some money as little kids, but one girl is doing it for a different reason.

Farrah Ford opened a lemonade stand in McKinney to raise money to build a playground in memory of a friend who had passed away.

The girl's friend, 22-month-old Avy Hill, was killed in a car crash in March 2023.

The lemonade stand's profits will go toward Avy's Sunshine Tribe , a charity set by Avy Hill's mother to build the playground.

"The mom wanted to turn around something negative and make it positive and happy," said Ginger Ford, Farrah's mom.

And thanks to a donation from Tropical Smoothie Cafe, her lemonade stand is getting a big upgrade.

"It was such a great feeling to be part of the team that came in and surprised Farrah when we arrived and showed her, her new lemonade stand and told her what we would be doing," said Kim Hollis, who works for the smoothie company.

It's part of the company's lemonade stand glow-up program. Farrah Ford is the first kid to receive a new lemonade stand and lemonade smoothies to sell.

"Farrah's mom submitted her story and told us about how she was raising money for a charity that is going to build a playground in memory of her friend who passed away," said Hollis.

Ginger Ford said she wants to instill in her daughter a commitment to giving back.

"I wanted to show her how to give back to the community at an early age. I like doing that too, so I'm glad we could do that together," she said.

"Her father actually just passed away too in February. So, it hits hard. It's close to us, but it's understanding death and making something positive," said Ginger Ford.

But in this little lemonade stand where there's so much loss, all you see are smiles.

If you want to help Farrah Ford build the playground in memory of her friend, you can visit the website here to learn more and donate.