Sitting at his chair while taking a lunch break at Mimi’s Shaved Ice and Lemonade Stand at Montgomery City on June 14, Avery Penn looked around and saw the numerous people sipping on lemonade, eating ice cream and munching on barbecue.

All the people were supporting the 11-year-old Wellsville boy, who is currently battling cancer. Mimi’s held an event called Avery’s Day, in which all of the proceeds went to the Penn family to pay for medical experiences.

“I’m very, very grateful,” Avery said. “There are tons of people. I didn’t think I was that popular.”

Avery also got work at the lemonade stand. He said he enjoyed taking orders from patrons.

“I like learning how to make stuff, like the lemonade, shaved ice, tea and ice cream,” Avery said. “I don’t really make the shaved ice, like putting the shaved ice in a small, medium or large cup. I put the flavors on them like the Shark Attack. It’s a little bit hard to make the wedding cake one because you can’t see what you made. Sometimes I put a little extra on the wedding cake just in case.”

Avery’s Day ran for 10 hours from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mimi’s, which is located at 602 N. Sturgeon, sold hot dogs, hamburgers and chips during the fundraiser.

“It was absolutely packed,” said Jessica Penn, Avery’s mother. “It was a great turnout.”

Pink T-shirts were made for Avery’s Day. The shirts read, “The Legend of Avery,” which is named after one of Avery’s favorite video games, The Legend of Zelda.

Jessica said she thanked the owners – Michelle and Tim Schnapp – for running the event. Avery and his family have been frequent customers at Mimi’s since it first opened three years ago.

“They just literally asked me permission one day after one of their girls told them about Avery,” Jessica said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ It turned into this. Nobody really wants to talk about the financial aspect of this stuff because it’s awkward, but the bills are rolling in. I think when families are going through such an emotional roller coaster, I feel like it’s the best help for the community to help out financially so you can focus on the mental aspect and being there for him. It’s been really amazing. There are people here I have never met before and supported him. It’s overwhelming in the best way possible.”