SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — At just nine years old, Kyleigh Brunette has learned the gift of turning pain into purpose.
After her dad died by suicide when she was six, Kyleigh made it her mission to raise awareness surrounding mental health with the help of a lemonade stand.
"We just sat in the driveway with the pitchers and people kept coming and it was just really exciting," said Kyleigh.
Last year, Kyleigh raised $800 selling lemonade in honor of her dad and donated it to Mental Health America in Sheboygan. Her story touched the lives of people across the world.
"It's been a huge wake-up call to a lot of people. I've had some people messaging me online saying your story has really helped out. Now, I think of my kids when I'm having bad thoughts. I've realized how much it actually will affect my family," said Kyleigh's mom, Brittany Brunette Thimmesch.
On Saturday, just days after what would have been her dad's 36th birthday, Kyleigh and her siblings once again spent the day in their driveway selling lemonade. This time, she raised $1,000 for the non-profit.
"We were all just shocked. We were all like what," Kyleigh exclaimed.
Since starting this journey, Kyleigh has already done so much in such a short amount of time.
"We did the suicide awareness walk in Sheboygan. We were able to raise an additional $3,000 fund to give them at the walk," said Brittany. "Kyleigh got the youth ambassador award at that walk as well. We also have an online set up for donations for Mental Health America."
And while there's not a day that goes by that she doesn't think about her dad...
"I miss him so much and I wish he could come back," said Kyleigh.
Kyleigh says she's inspired by how she's able to help others by sharing his story.
To make an online donation in honor of Kyleigh's dad, click here.
Kyleigh will host a final lemonade stand fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Toys for Tots Softball Tournament in Sheboygan.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
