He's donated thousands of dollars to veterans over the years, from earnings he's made selling cups of lemonade and he isn't even closed to being finished yet.
Raising money has always been a part of 15-year-old Matthew Ott's life since he was only nine, according to Stars and Stripes. During his first lemonade stand, he ended up making $53.75 which he donated to veterans. This high school student is back at it again, but this time he has a much larger number to reach in mind. He is hoping to collect around one million dollars for veteran patients in VA hospitals and the women's center, direct support and medical services, ABC27 News stated.
Ott has always been inspired to do these good deeds particularly geared toward veterans because of his mother, Army Spc. E-4 Patricia Suella Ott, a veteran who passed away when he was only a baby, Stars and Stripes reported. He also has the support of his father Spc. E-5 John Ott, who insists his son is the one who does most of the work. This seems to be evident by his past endeavors, setting up lemonade stands, raising $10,000 and generously giving to local families of veterans suffering financially, ABC27 News mentioned.
Through determination and hard work, Ott has come a long way since his first lemonade stand.This time it's bigger than ever and he's been able to gain recognition through the media.
In an interview with ABC27, Ott said, "We want to get $10 from 100,000 people…We will reach out to corporate sponsors, it's important that our men and women get what they need."
Ott hopes to meet his goal through donations via Facebook or mailed directly to him.