Jackie Rehwald

JREHWALD@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Update from 5 p.m. Saturday:

According to Donnie Davis, her yard sale and Tristan’s lemonade stand raised about $7,100. The family started a fundraiser on YouCaring.com called “Tristan’s Adoption Fund,” and more than $6,900 has been donated to that. As of Saturday afternoon, a total of $14,000 has been donated to help the Davis family adopt Tristan.

“There’s not enough words to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has shown support or given us donations,” Davis said. “Everyone has made this possible. We will make sure this child will forever be ours.”

Davis said any extra money will go toward Tristan's education.

Original story posted Friday:

Third-grader Tristan Jacobson sat patiently Friday afternoon, waiting for his next thirsty customer. For a dollar, the 9-year-old would happily crack open an ice-cold bottle of water, pour in a tiny packet of lemonade powder and shake.

And that dollar, he said, will go toward paying legal fees so Tristan can be adopted.

"She will be my parent," he said, motioning to Donnie Davis, who was watching from the front porch. "I'm happy because I have a new mom who loves me."

Tristan attends Williams Elementary School and said he's having no trouble keeping track of money and making proper change for his customers.

Math, after all, is his favorite subject.

"I'm in fractions now," he said proudly. "It's easy for me."

Davis is hosting a yard sale through 4 p.m. Saturday at their home in north Springfield. Tristan and his lemonade stand will be set up in the yard during this time. Davis said she and her husband, Jimmy, have been Tristan's kinship guardians since the boy was 5.

They hope to raise about $5,000 for legal and adoption fees. The yard sale and Tristan's lemonade stand will help.

"It means everything. He is absolutely our son. He is in our hearts," she said. "This is more for reassurance for him, knowing that he has his forever family and he has our name."

Tristan has participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks for more than two years.

Program Director Chelsea Dykman is in regular contact with the Davis family and Tristan.

"(Donnie Davis) is great. She came in hoping to get him more positive people in his life," Dykman said.

When Tristan was 4, his biological mom briefly had custody, but things didn't work out, Donnie said. At age 5, Tristan was placed with Donnie as a kinship guardian.