11-Year-Old Girl Raises More Than $61,000 For Florida Animal Rescues With Lemonade Stand

For as long as she can remember, 11-year-old Delanie Dennis has loved two things: lemonade and animals. 

Delanie was just seven years old when she devised a way to combine them. She approached her parents about selling lemonade to raise money for animals.

"So we talked to her about it and listened to her plan," her dad, Andy Dennis, recalled during an appearance on Good Morning America Wednesday. "And it was like, 'Okay, let's give it a shot.'"

The family opened Delanie's Lemonade Stand in their Tampa restaurant, Cafe Delanie, in 2019. Each month, the stand's proceeds are donated to a local animal rescue of Delanie's choosing. To date, she has raised more than $61,000.

"It's been truly inspiring to see someone at such a young age with such a passion for people and animals to make things happen and make a change," her mom, Julie Dennis, told GMA. "It's heartwarming."

Delanie, who was named ASPCA’s 2022 “Kid Of The Year,” appeared alongside her parents on GMA. 

"I want to inspire my generation to help animals," she explained. "The future is that hopefully animals' lives will all be changed."

At the end of the segment, host Michael Strahan surprised the do-gooding tween with a $2,500 donation to her lemonade stand from Veterinary Emergency Group.

Delanie said the money will be donated to the organization she is supporting this month, a nonprofit that helps rescue English Mastiffs in Florida.

Go Delanie, go!