Uniondale's Aishleen Cadet uses money from lemonade stand to buy school supplies for other kids

Aishleen Cadet knew she wanted to give back.

A lemonade and shaved ice stand was the sweet solution.

The Uniondale 8-year-old ran Aishleen's Lemonade Stand over the past two months, raising around $1,000 to buy backpacks, books and other supplies for children gearing up for the upcoming school year, her parents said. She began giving out the items Saturday at her “Sip for School Success” donation event.

"I can help kids get things they don't have," said Aishleen, who is entering third grade at Our Lady of Victory Elementary School in Floral Park. "They can come here and get a free backpack."

Aishleen's colorful stand offers either pink lemonade or regular lemonade and shaved ice with a variety of syrup flavors. She typically opens the stand on Goodrich Street on Sundays after church. She bought 70 backpacks and more than 100 notebooks with the money she raised over the summer.

Lystra Joseph-Campbell, 54, of Uniondale, stopped by the stand to pick up two backpacks for her grandchildren, 7-year-old twins Makai and Makari.

"This is beautiful," Joseph-Campbell said. "Every time she has lemonade, I try to come and support … it tastes so good."

While on her mail route, postal worker Alfreda James, of Uniondale, picked up a backpack to give to niece or nephew. She said she's known the family since before Aishleen was born and feels the donations will help families looking to make ends meet.

"I'm just grateful," James said.

Aishleen's parents, Pascal and Yolette, came to the United States from Haiti in 1995 and 1998, respectively. They settled on Long Island and said they tried to instill the value of giving back to the community.

Yolette Cadet said her daughter came up with the idea of a lemonade stand and decided to get school supplies after thinking about her classmates getting ready for the next year of school. 

"When I was back home, my mother always gave back to the community, and I always said if God blessed me one day, I would instill that in her," she said. "Because when you give back, you get more blessings coming to you."

A volunteer firefighter, Pascal Cadet said he built the lemonade stand for his daughter to encourage her to be outside and be charitable.

"She feels happy," he said. "It's all about happiness — it makes people happy."

Nassau County Legislator Olena Nicks presented Aishleen with a commendation for her work Saturday.

The approaching school year can cause stress for parents who have to make a string of purchases before the first day of classes. Aishleen's donations can help relieve some of that anxiety.

"We don't see it very often that someone of her age is thinking about other children," Nicks said. "I'm hoping that it spreads to other children and becomes a bigger movement."