9-year-old sets up lemonade stand to keep her local library open

Mia Maguire and a friend hold a sign advertising her lemonade stand.

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Inside Edition)

published 31 May 2017

The public library in Berkley, Massachusetts, has been serving the community since 1893, and Mia Maguire wants to make sure its doors are always open.

When the 9-year-old heard that the library could be closed due to budget cuts, she jumped into action, crafting a plan to raise money on Saturday by selling glasses of lemonade for 50 cents each. During her first hour selling outside the library, she made $100, and she ended the day with $625, including donations.

"Mia literally held that sign all day long," older sister Samantha Maguire told Inside Edition. "It was really an incredible thing to witness. We did not know it would be such a big event." Mia said it meant a lot to see so many residents offer their support. "I didn't know how many people cared about the library like we do," she said. This summer, the town will vote on whether to keep the library open. Catherine Garcia

The Week

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.