Philadelphia girl raises $3K to see Taylor Swift, surprised with tickets to the Eras Tour in London
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — One South Philadelphia girl spent the summer turning lemons into lemonade – literally – with a very special goal in mind.
Elena Flores, a Taylor Swift superfan and entrepreneur, has been selling lemonade around the city in hopes of making enough money to buy the hottest ticket of the summer – Swift's Eras Tour.
"I love all her songs. I like to sing them to my family. I listen to them in the car ... and I just love her so much," Elena said.
It's nice to have a friend, and friends new and old helped Elena's wildest dream come true.
Elena was surprised by her family Tuesday afternoon with tickets to the Eras Tour in London while she was selling lemonade in Rittenhouse Square.
The show is this weekend, and 8-year-old Elena is set to travel to the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
After 16 lemonade stands, she made more than $3,000.
"She said all she wanted for her birthday was to go to Taylor Swift, but those tickets were so expensive. She said I'll sell lemonade," Elena's mom Chelsea Flores said. "I said you know what — you can give it a shot!"
With a little help from her mom, Flores posted her journey on TikTok and Instagram, which helped bring in donations.
"Everyone's been coming out to support her, she's been doing great, all on her own," Chelsea Flores said. "We sit out here with her, she don't want no help."