Drink stand raises $1,000

Boy, 12, launches charity challenge

Saturday is usually a day of play for kids, but Jonathan Bunzey, 12, was hard at work.

The energetic, freckle-faced boy spent most of Saturday at his lemonade and coffee stand outside Taylor's Fine Wine & Grocery off Six Forks Road in Raleigh, raising money for children with special needs.

At the end of his six-hour shift, Jonathan had more than $1,000 for a cause near and dear to him.

As a toddler, Jonathan battled encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that left him unable to speak. He now communicates through a translator.

That hasn't stopped Jonathan from putting out a call to children across the country to set up stands as part of the LemonAid Stand Off Challenge. Proceeds go to the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which was co-founded by "American Idol" star and Raleigh favorite Clay Aiken, to help children with special needs. The foundation provides an interpreter for Jonathan so he can attend summer camps.

"The community gave us a lot when Jonathan was sick, and this is a way for him to give back," said his mother, Heather Bunzey, who helped out at the stand, along with Jonathan's sister and friends.

Jonathan set a goal of raising $400, so the final tally was a pleasant surprise. "Wow," Jonathan said through sign language as his mother interpreted.

One person slipped in a $100 bill.

Fundraising is nothing new for Jonathan, a bubbly youngster who likes to play basketball and jump on the trampoline. He was recently honored with the Bubel/Aiken Foundation's Champion of Change youth award for his work.

Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker designated Saturday as Jonathan Bunzey Day, and Jonathan proudly displayed the proclamation at his lemonade stand.

(Interested in organizing a LemonAid stand? Visit www.bubelaiken.org. Click on "What's New.")