Every Little Bit Helps: 9-year-old Sells Lemonade to Raise Money for Detroit Parks

The city of Detroit has a deficit of more than $100 million, but 9-year-old Joshua Smith wants to do everything he can to help close that gap and improve the parks in his neighborhood. So, he’s set up a lemonade stand.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Smith knew the city was in trouble when the grass at a nearby park grew almost as tall as him. He then heard about the city’s financial crisis on the radio and decided to take action.

Photo: Jim Johnson

Smith plans to man his lemonade stand from 5 to 8 p.m. through this Friday, August 3, 2012. Though his exact location wasn’t disclosed, if you happen to drive by Smith’s lemonade stand, stop and show your support.

You can also donate money to the city of Detroit by visiting the city teller on the first floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Donated money goes to the general fund unless a department is specified. Smith has expressed that he wants the money he raises to go towards improvements to the parks in his community.

For the full Detroit Free Press article about this amazing boy, click here.

U-Haul Provides 108,000 Meals on Go Orange Day at St. Mary’s Food Bank

U-Haul® and St. Mary's Food Bank® have partnered for decades to help make life better for Arizonans — and for good reason. Both organizations have been headquartered in Phoenix since 1967. Both embrace missions centered on the notion that everyone should have access...

Season of Giving: U-Haul Helps Arizona Charities at Christmas

Santa’s “nice list” in Arizona grew especially long this past holiday season, as U-Haul® Team Members and their families throughout the Valley cheerfully donated their time and resources to help those less fortunate. Team Members filled the month of December with...

Community Improvement detroit Detroit Revitalization Fundraising In the News parks

What’s New

Arizona Flooding: U-Haul Offers Disaster Relief at 94 Stores Statewide

Nine U-Haul® Companies in Arizona are offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container use at 94 stores to residents impacted by the severe flooding that occurred statewide over the weekend. Heavy rains that fell Friday through Sunday caused flash...

To the Moon, Sun and Mars: How Far Do U-Haul Truck Customers Travel?

U-Haul trucks are a familiar sight on North American roadways. The Company’s shared-use business model, affordable rates and accessible locations have been empowering people to move to a better life since 1945. Ever wonder how many miles those orange-clad U-Haul...

Philly Special: U-Haul Storage has Super History in Philadelphia

U-Haul is the largest and oldest provider of self-storage in the City of Brotherly Love, with more than 13,000 rentable units and storage service dating to the 1970s. The commitment to Philadelphia is very intentional, and direct ties to several of the city’s most...

Hey, “Orange” You Glad It’s Autumn

At U-Haul, you could say orange is our color. It has been since 1946, just one year after our organization was founded. It’s on U-Haul storage doors, trucks, trailers, furniture and utility dollies, and plenty more. But it’s not just our color. Countless moving and...

The Origin of Orange: How a Color Came to Define a Company

Do you know orange came to be perpetually linked to America’s most iconic moving and self-storage company? Soon after U-Haul® was born in 1945, founder and WWII Navy veteran L.S. “Sam” Shoen was towing one of the Company’s first trailers through a four-way...

U-Haul VP Steve Dudley Named Honorary Commander at Luke AFB

Steve Dudley, U-Haul Vice President of Retail Sales, has been selected by Luke Air Force Base to be part of the 56th Fighter Wing Honorary Commander Program. Dudley was named an Honorary Commander for the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron (56 LRS) and has been...

U-Haul Partners with Forests Canada to Support Healthy, Resilient Forests

To help Canada's forests better face the growing pressures of increasing wildfires, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather events, U-Haul® and national charity Forests Canada are launching a multi-year, national partnership called Healthy Forests for Future...

Hurricane Preparation: U-Haul Offers Help in 4 States ahead of Isaias

Six U-Haul® Companies spanning the northern Gulf Coast and all of Alabama and Mississippi are proactively offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container use at 101 stores in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi to residents in the path of Isaias,...

U-Haul Named 11th Healthiest Workplace in America

U-Haul® has received its highest national ranking for Team Member health and well-being, placing No. 11 on the 2026 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America by Healthiest Employers®. The annual list honors organizations nationwide that demonstrate exceptional commitment...