YOUR STORY MATTERS HERE: Joe Wagner

By Jenny Monahan

Twelve-year-old Joe Wagner is part activist, part entrepreneur, and all about helping others.

For the last several years, Joe has organized lemonade stands to raise funds for organizations that assist people in need.

“I do a lemonade stand every year, at least for the last four years,” Joe explained. “Normally we sell lemonade and homemade trail mix, but in 2020 [because of COVID-19] we had bottled water, lemonade mix packets, and individually-packaged Pirate’s Booty.”

Joe and his business partners – sister Grace (age 10 and in fifth grade) and neighbors Mary (seventh grade) and Nina (fourth grade)—have donated the proceeds to a variety of organizations. Past recipients include Imagine No Malaria, The Nyadire Connection, and Dutilh Church’s food ministry.

The majority of Joe’s fundraising efforts have focused on organizations working in Africa.

“We have some connections with these programs in Zimbabwe through the United Methodist Church,” explained Rev. Amy Wagner, Joe’s mom and a United Methodist pastor.

This summer, Joe chose to support a water project in Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula. He learned about the water crisis in Yemen during a social studies class with his teacher, Mrs. Miloser, in sixth grade.

“The people in Yemen have less than ten years before they are out of water,” Joe said. The desert landscape, climate, and a lack of infrastructure all contribute to the problem. Joe was happy that the money he raised this year is mainly benefitting children in Yemen, through his donation to UNICEF.

“Kids end up drinking the poorest quality water of anyone in that community, and then the kids get sick,” Joe said. “All it takes is $1 or $2 for a bottle of clean water, and a larger donation can provide a new well. People can make a difference!”

Joe says the reason he wanted to help with the water crisis in Yemen is simple.

“I wanted to get involved because I see people suffering – they are enduring a civil war already, but now they have to face a water shortage also,” Joe said. “It’s giving people another chance to live their life. These are basic necessities, not luxuries.”

Joe said a typical lemonade stand pulls in about $75. He usually organizes the fundraiser during his neighborhood-wide yard sale. This year, with less foot traffic due to the pandemic, the event brought in about $60.

Joe’s favorite year was when he raised about $150 for Imagine No Malaria. In addition to selling the lemonade and snacks, Joe makes signs to explain the cause he is supporting.

“One lady came up and said she didn’t want any lemonade, but she wanted to support people in Zimbabwe, and she gave me $50,” Joe said.

“Joe is a very good salesman,” Amy confirmed. “If people come in our driveway, they do not leave without buying a lemonade.”

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The Wagner family—Joe, his mom Amy, his dad Rob, and his sister Grace—joined Dutilh Church in 2014 when Amy was moved to the UMC Episcopal Office in Cranberry Township.

Upon first entering Dutilh’s doors, the Wagners were welcomed by Leslie Rymer, who happened to be one of Joe’s teachers at school. Rymer shepherded Joe through Dutilh’s VBS program, where he enjoyed getting to know some of the other kids.

Today, some of Joe’s favorite things about Dutilh Church are “sitting in the comfy chair” outside the sanctuary so he can greet people who come in late to service and sampling the snacks after worship services. Joe not only enjoys eating the snacks, but volunteers periodically with Susan Boddy to help put out the snacks. Joe also loves packing food for Dutilh’s Thanksgiving food donations to local families in the Mars and Seneca Valley school districts and helping to pack meals at Dutilh during the Rise Against Hunger lock-in each year.

For anyone who wants to love God, love others, and love to serve in the ways that Joe does, this seventh grader at Ryan Gloyer Middle School offers both inspirational and practical advice. First, Joe said, it is important for both kids and adults to serve others “because we’re related! We’re the same species. If something happens in Africa, it affects us, too.” And on a more pragmatic note, he offered, “People are more likely to buy sugar-free than sugary lemonade, and mostly they prefer drinks, not snacks.”

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If you or someone you know in the Dutilh family has an interesting story or profession, send us your ideas! We would love to help tell the story. Email: communications@dutilhumc.org.