'Lemonade Kid' hits goal, helps Detroit

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DETROIT, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A 9-year-old businessman called the "Lemonade Kid" needed just three days to raise $1,000 to help his hometown of Detroit out of its financial crisis.

Joshua Smith, after learning of the city's financial distress and telling his parents he would sell lemonade to help, sold lemonade, fruit punch, popcorn and water from a stand in his Russell Woods neighborhood since Monday morning.

By Wednesday evening he had a $1,163.84 profit, aided by donations from across the country and as far away as Great Britain by people who had heard his story, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.

The city of Detroit, with a falling population, high unemployment and increased reliance on public spending, has $13 billion in long-term debt.