LUBBOCK, Texas — An 11-year-old Lubbock girl reached her goal of raising enough money to purchase a gravestone for her late father after the community showed up for her on Lemonade Day. And the gravestone was finally placed at Resthaven Cemetery this past weekend.
“I felt very grateful, happy, proud and blessed, those are all the emotions I felt,” said Kaylee Hernandez.
DPS urges Texans to plan ahead for safe Fourth of July weekend
EverythingLubbock first reported on Kaylee when she was participating in Lemonade Day with a mission to honor her father’s memory by raising money for his headstone.
- Young Lubbock girl honors her father, one cup at a time ahead of Lemonade Day
- ‘God did it’: Lubbock girl raises enough on Lemonade Day to pay off her dad’s headstone
Following an outpouring of community support, Kaylee said she raised more than enough to cover the cost. She expressed gratitude to everyone who stopped by, donated and helped make her goal a reality. “How many people I saw that day. It was really a blessing to me, how helpful people could be, you know, like how helpful people could be for something like this,” said Kaylee. She said she still remembers a man who prayed with them in the beginning because it reminded her of her father, Rick Hernandez.
The fundraiser drew support from across the Lubbock community, with residents coming together to help Kaylee preserve her father’s memory.
Kaylee had a lot of input on how she wanted her dad’s gravestone to look, choosing the color, design and even the scripture.
“I did blue because this color it doesn’t tarnish and because he liked blue.” She picked the scripture, John 19:30, because her father always told her, “It starts with the cross and ends at the cross.”…