Imlay City boy raises funds to help Animal Shelter

Proceeds from lemonade sales help sponsor animals

IMLAY CITY —  For the fifth consecutive year, 12-year-old Camden Rhodes set up a neighborhood lemonade stand with a goal that was bigger than selling ice cold drinks.  

For the past three years, Camden and his brothers have donated a portion of their lemonade stand proceeds to local animal organizations. This year, they chose to support Lapeer County Animal Control.

Thanks to the incredible support of friends, neighbors, and community members who stopped by the stand or donated through Venmo and Cash App, Camden raised enough money to sponsor three dogs currently waiting for adoption.

As part of the sponsorship, Camden was able to visit Lapeer County Animal Control, meet each of the dogs, and personally choose which ones to sponsor.

“It was hard to leave without taking them all home,” said his mom, Katz Rhodes. “Watching Camden work so hard and care so deeply about helping these dogs has made me incredibly proud.”

Camden spent most of the week running the lemonade stand and even chose to skip going to the county fair so he could continue raising money with the hope of sponsoring more than one dog.

A year ago, the boys raised enough to sponsor four dogs. This year, they sponsored three more, helping bring attention to dogs that are still waiting for their forever homes.

The Rhodes family hopes their story inspires others to support local shelters and consider adoption. They also hope the three sponsored dogs will soon find loving families of their own.

“Every dog deserves a home,” Camden said. “We’re so grateful to everyone in our community who helped make this possible.”

Anyone interested in adopting one of the sponsored dogs is encouraged to contact Lapeer County Animal Control.