Lemonade stand a sweet attempt to help brother

By Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News
July 31, 2007
Like all brothers, Mark and Jason Rinkel have their scraps.
But when 12-year-old Mark learned his kid brother needed a medical alert dog to monitor his diabetes, big bro did what he does best: Sell lemonade.

Lots of lemonade.

Boosted by TV coverage of his bittersweet campaign, the Aurora boy raised $3,906 at his lemonade stand on Sunday alone.

"Oh my gosh, at the beginning we had a line going all the way across the street," said Mark, who will only reveal that his secret recipe uses fresh-squeezed lemons and boiled sugar.

Mark charges $2.25 for a 16-ounce lemonade; $1.50 for a 12-ounce glass.

"Most people we didn't have to tell them how much, because they give us like $5 or $20," Mark said.

One Los Angeles woman saw a national TV show about Mark's lemonade crusade and sent her son, who lives in Denver, to make a $200 donation, said Mark's mom, Marisa Rinkel.

Sunday's haul pushed the boy's grand total to $4,552 raised since he started this month.

When pledges are included, Mark's nailed his goal of collecting a $6,000 contribution toward the diabetes alert dog that can cost between $16,000 and $25,000 to raise and train. A nonprofit Missouri group, Heaven Scent Paws, will raise the rest.

"We're brothers. We have those brotherly fights," Mark said.

"But my brother's such a great guy. And I feel really sorry that he had this happen to him. I felt like I should make it better for him," he added.

Nine-year-old Jason was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes in October. Since then, he's had about 3,000 needle pokes - both finger pricks to monitor his blood-sugar level and insulin injections to keep his diabetes controlled, the mom said.

Like everyone in the family, Mark gets anxious about whether Jason could suffer a dangerous blood-sugar fluctuation, especially when he's sleeping.

The fear keeps Jason's mom, like other parents of diabetics, waking up in the middle of the night to check her son.

"Mark is an early bird," Marisa Rinkel said. "So he and I sometimes get up early and pace, wondering: 'When is Jason going to get up? Is he OK?' We're always really glad to see Jason wake up."

That's where the alert dog will help.

Just as drug-sniffing dogs have a nose for illegal narcotics, Marisa Rinkel said the medical alert pooches sense blood-sugar dips and peaks and give the patient a warning lick on the face.

If a child doesn't respond, the dog is trained to get help by licking another family member's face. "But I've heard stories of a dog pulling off someone's pajamas because the parent was sleeping heavily," the mom said.

Mark, meanwhile, may be on his way to becoming a lemonade tycoon.

He's created his own Web site featuring a photo of his brother in firefighter gear.

Last year Mark was a finalist in the Inc.com's Best Lemonade Stand in America contest. He raised $250 for pediatric AIDS programs.

"I got third place last year, but I'm trying for first this year," the boy said.

Drink up!

• Mark Rinkel will be operating his lemonade stand from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday at East Third Avenue and Lincoln Street. He has a Web site - pawsoflife.net - where you can learn more about his fundraising efforts.

gathrighta@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5486

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