An 8-year-old boy from Boyle Heights decided to start a business selling plants to help his mother out financially, and also to raise funds to bring his sister back from Mexico.
Aaron is quite the little entrepreneur.
He started his business selling plants with two main goals: to support his family so that they could move out of the small space where they currently live at their relatives’ home, and to bring back his sister, Ayleen, who due to a lack of resources now lives in Mexico with family members.
Berenice Pacheco says Ayleen is happy to know that her brother is doing all he can for her. Every time an airplane passes by overhead, he points it out and says that that is how his sister will arrive.
"I want Ayleen to come back," Aaron says.
Aaron and his mom share a special passion for plants.
"My favorite plant is aloe and the 'money tree,'" the boy says.
That passion has turned into a way to raise the much-needed money. Both constantly travel by bus to downtown Los Angeles to buy plants in bulk and then resell them at different parts of the city.
"I'm happy because I can help my mom," Aaron says.
Aaron’s noble gesture has garnered the attention of thousands of followers on social media who heard his story and want to help him fulfill his mission of helping his family.
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"It’s to help everyone. He’s carrying the burden of his mother, his sister," one woman said.
And Aaron's incredible generosity has returned to his family exponentially, through donations to their GoFundMe and support for their business.
"We started selling last week. We ran out of plants, and we hope they will run out again, and people will continue to support us," Pacheco said.
What Aaron and his mother appreciate the most is how many people manage to support them despite the difficult circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic that seems to have hit everyone.
"People support us by buying plants, following us, leaving us good comments, and they tell us nice things to keep moving forward. It's what we need," Pacheco said.
