Good News Friday: Jayden Sink Faces Down The Westboro Baptist Church In The Name Of Peace

Jayden Sink wanted to sell lemonade; and she wanted to sell pink lemonade. She wanted to sell pink lemonade for peace. And she did, setting up her stand at the Equality House [see my post HERE] which is located just across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.

 What happens when a little girl decides to set up a lemonade stand for peace outside the Westboro Baptist Church headquarters in Kansas? Members of the community step out in droves to show support, even as the hate group tries to quash it.

Jayden, the daughter of Jon Sink, founder of the philanthropic arts group FRESHCASSETTE—Creative Compassion, set up her lemonade stand at Equality House, painted the colors of the pride flag, is owned by Aaron Jackson, a founding of Planting Peace, a multi-pronged nonprofit aimed at spreading goodwill and equality around the globe, when her parents told her that the church across the street had a message of hate.

Jayden decided to raise money for peace. So she painted a banner for the event reading, "Pink Lemonade for Peace: $1 Suggested Donation" and she set up her stand on the lawn and waited.

During the day, Westboro Baptist Church sent representatives outside to try and find a way to stop Jayden; they attempted to call the local police and when they were told that little girls can sell lemonade in Topeka, they began yelling profanities at those who stopped for a cool drink.

All their interference and shouting didn’t stop Jayden from raising $400 during the day, but adding an additional--as of Thursday--$21,000 from an online campaign [HERE].

Aaron Jackson:

"As we all know, the Westboro Baptist Church puts a lot of hate into the world. Since we cannot stop them, the next best thing is to smother it with love. That is what 5-year-old Jayden accomplished today! Jayden set up a lemonade stand in front of the church. Not only did she quench the thirst of a lot of loving supporters, the money she raised was donated to Planting Peace so she could help Planting Peace promote a more peaceful world."

If a little girl can stand up to the Westboro Baptist Church in such a non-threatening, non-confrontational, positive way, she is setting quite the example for the rest of us. She was just selling lemonade, she was also selling hope.

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