Smiles are the best medicine.
That's Megan Semenuk's personal motto.
But at the tender age of 14, Megan is also aware that there are things smiles can't fix.
That's why the teenager is spending the week set up behind a small table at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ogilvie Street selling lemonade to thirsty passersby.
The proceeds from the sale, which Megan intends to do until Friday, are going to help her mother pay rent to fend off a recently received eviction notice.
Brenda Josephson said she got the 10-day notice on Saturday, which gives her until
Aug. 18 to square up or move out. After a new job fell through, Josephson said she was unable to return to her old one because her position had already been filled. Add on top of that a roommate who just moved out, the $400 in unemployment insurance Josephson collects every two weeks can only go so far when there's food to buy and other bills to pay.
Josephson said she was also waiting to hear back about a bank loan when the eviction notice came along. Megan, who visits every second weekend along with her 17-year-old brother Darren, said she found out about the eviction notice the same time her mom did.
"So I decided you know what I'm doing a lemonade stand. She's like 'what? no, you don't need to do that.' And I said 'well, I'll do it anyway,'" Megan said.
With Darren on lemonade-mixing duty, Megan set up on Monday and by the end of the day had made $461 - each cup of lemonade only costs $1, but customers have been very generous.
The family said they were shocked by people's kindness, which has run the gamut from a neighbour donating a case of bottled water for Megan to sell, to a man in front of Megan at the grocery store purchasing her lemonade mix, to a couple who donated more than $200.
Megan said her goal is raise $3,000 by the end of the week, to help pay off the $2,800 in total that her mom will owe in accumulated rent by the end of the month.
"I think she's crazy," Josephson said.
"I am crazy - that's why it will work," said Megan.
