August 16, 2021
Connor and Joseph Kelly, 11 year-old twin boys, had been asking their parents if they could have a lemonade stand. Rather than keeping the money for themselves, they decided to honor their older sister, Sophie Kelly, who at one time was a resident of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, by donating the proceeds of their stand to St. Mary’s Kids.
Since Connor and Joseph had spent a lot of time at St. Mary’s visiting Sophie they were very familiar with the important work that was going on at St. Mary’s and wanted to spread awareness the community. They were challenged to provide their neighbors with the best-tasting and coldest lemonade available anywhere. Their mother, Renee, ordered a beverage dispenser with a spigot, some Dixie cups, and lots of organic lemonade. After making a sign, Connor and Joseph were in business!
They rolled up their sleeves this summer and sold more than 200 glasses of refreshing and tasty lemonade and went through 40 pounds of ice to keep it cold. Word on the street was that it was the best lemonade anybody had ever tasted!
The Kelly Brothers Lemonade Stand is located in a shady spot, under a tree on the center meridian at 85th Street and 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights. They are open from 12-5pm on Tuesdays during the month of July. With the New York City Department of Transportation’s program of Open Streets, 34th Avenue has been transformed into a pedestrian space where residents can have organized salsa classes, family bike rides, community gardening, art programming and more.
When people hear that Connor and Joseph are donating the proceeds from their stand to St. Mary’s, many customers increase the suggested donation from a dollar to $5, $10, $20 and even $100 dollars. During their second week of operating the stand, the Kelly Brothers received a $100 donation from Mr. Michael Fuquay, one of the owners of The Queensboro restaurant, located on Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights. In all, the local residents and passing motorists have been very generous.
Connor and Joseph are thrilled with their success. So far, the Kelly Brothers Lemonade Stand has raised $911 and with one more Tuesday left in July they expect to exceed the goal they originally set of $1,000 for St. Mary’s Kids. Connor and Joseph’s parents, Hugh and Renee Kelly, are very proud of them.
