Only generalized city-level location information is published.
Impact story · Monticello, Minnesota
Santos Zarate and Amaru
After Amaru’s lemonade-stand story reached the community, 1,541 donors contributed $37,406 through the fundraiser Josh organized for Santos Zarate.
Sitewide aggregate figures retain the July 19, 2026 reporting baseline; this story’s $37,406 outcome was verified and added August 22, 2026.
Community-funded legal assistance$37,406 raised
Audience and community donations from 1,541 donors supported attorney fees, court-related costs, and legal assistance.
What happened
Amaru’s lemonade stand introduced the community to his family’s effort.
The original video documents Josh meeting Santos Zarate and his son Amaru at a lemonade stand. Their public story centered on legal support connected to Santos’s effort to reconnect with his daughter.
Raised from 1,541 community donors.
The fundraiser was organized on behalf of beneficiary Santos Zarate.
What changed
Community support funded legal assistance and produced a documented follow-up.
Josh later returned to Santos and Amaru and presented Santos with $30,000 from the audience-funded campaign toward his legal expenses.
The $30,000 presentation shown in the follow-up is part of the fundraiser’s $37,406 total; it is not a separate fundraiser total and is not characterized as Josh personally donating $30,000.
- Amaru’s original story was shared.
The lemonade-stand video introduced the family’s stated legal-support need.
- 1,541 donors contributed.
The community fundraiser raised exactly $37,406 for attorney fees, court-related costs, and legal support.
- $30,000 was presented in the follow-up.
JVL-V-000085 documents Josh presenting Santos with fundraiser proceeds for legal expenses.
- Amaru received an ATV.
The ATV is recorded as a separate gift and outcome. Its cost is not attributed to fundraiser donations without separate evidence.
Original video · JVL-V-000066
Watch the original Santos Zarate and Amaru story.
Read accessible transcript (23 timestamped sections)
This cleaned public-readable transcript preserves the spoken substance. Punctuation, caption artifacts, repeated caption holds, and accidental private-contact exposure were reviewed.
[00:00–00:07] How much you guys selling the lemonade for? $20. 20 bucks for the lemonade? What's the sister fund? Lenollade for my sister. What's wrong with your sister?
[00:07–00:13] Her mom took her. Took her away from you? Yeah. When's the last time you saw. June last year. That's like a year ago.
[00:13–00:17] You miss her? Yeah. How much money? Do you need to get her back? I don't know. You don't know?
[00:17–00:23] It's kind of to help out my. Is this the money you’ve made today? Yeah. Well, can I get a glass of lemonade? Sure. What's your name, buddy?
[00:23–00:29] Amaro. Nice to meet you pnollade. Hey, what's up? What's going on? Ad, minesit a you're the dad? Yeah, that's my son.
[00:29–00:35] This is his buddy. They're known for doing stuff like this. All the time. Yeah, that's awesome. How old's your sister? 14.
[00:35–00:43] What happened? Custody things, man. Her mom never brought her back from. Her visitation. It's been just about a year. We haven't seen or heard from her.
[00:43–00:48] Talk to her. You haven't even talked to. On the phone? No. I have court order. Everything's in favor.
[00:48–00:57] For me and my daughter. And nobody that I contacted. Nobody did anything to help my daughter. Now my son is doing stuff like this. To help out his dad. Is it for...
[00:57–01:03] What, lawyer fees? What would you need? It's pretty rough. Lawyers want to get paid. Everybody wants to get paid. I know.
[01:04–01:10] You got a lot going on, man. Yeah. A lot of us do. On so you're going to give. All that, to your dad? Den did you decide to do.
[01:11–01:18] So... he could get my sister. Does your sister mean a lot to you? Iene le yeah. Well, here... There's more. Than $20 for you guys.
[01:18–01:24] I’m going to put it in here. Thank you. Thanks. What'd that mean. If I can get your sister home? It would mean everything to you, really?
[01:25–01:32] That's for you, bud. I’ve tried absolutely everything. I’ve been in court since 2013. That's expensive. Very expensive. I just sold my house.
[01:32–01:38] Just so I could pay my lawyer. What I could afford? You had to sell your house? Sold my house. You're kidding. No.
[01:38–01:44] You sold your house. To be able to get your daughter back. And she's still not back. Yeah. And now my son's doing stuff like this. To try to help me.
[01:44–01:51] Because he thinks. That money can. Help me get his sister back. Means you raised a good son. I’ve been sober from alcohol. For 13 years.
[01:51–02:00] Since ny daunter's been. Congrats, man. She was my motivation. And, you know. now she's. If we somehow raised you a bunch of money. For lawyer fees.
[02:00–02:08] Do you think that would help you? I don't know. Can you afford a lawyer? Not at this point. No. I owe mn lawyer some money right now. How much do you owe your lawyer?
[02:08–02:16] I think $16,000. So you think he's raising money. To help you with the lawner. It must be. You en debt? Oh, yeah. I’m in debt.
[02:16–02:21] How much though? Maybe $100k. You think if you somehow. Came across the money. There's a better chance. Of getting your daughter?
[02:21–02:30] Absolutely. If your sister is watching this video. What's something you want to tell her? That I love her and miss her. And I’m sure you'd love. Nothing more than for her.
[02:30–02:31] To come home right?
Direct follow-up · JVL-V-000085
The follow-up documents the $30,000 presentation and ATV.
The approved 1:36 follow-up source shows the fundraiser-proceeds presentation and the separate ATV outcome. Its source file, descriptive captions, thumbnail, and relationship record are prepared in the Josh Video Library; public playback will be added through the approved media pipeline when this release is separately authorized.
Approved source prepared · not yet published
This page does not create a premature public media URL or copy the source master into the website repository.
Read descriptive captions (4 timed sections)
These accessibility captions were prepared from readable on-video captions and visual review. They are not represented as a verbatim word-for-word transcript.
[00:00–00:18] Josh approaches Santos outside with a $30,000 gift to help cover lawyer fees in his effort to bring his daughter Ava home.
[00:18–00:45] Man: Holy shit, dude!
[00:45–01:12] Man: It means the world.
[01:12–01:36] Santos’s son receives an ATV. On-screen caption: “PAYS OFF.”
Approved photo
Santos Zarate and Amaru after the fundraiser.
Evidence, sources, and documentation
Documentation note
How this record is bounded.
- Canonical original
- JVL-V-000066
- Direct follow-up
- JVL-V-000085
- Fundraiser total
- $37,406 from 1,541 donors
- Amount shown being presented
- $30,000 from the community fundraiser
- Location
- Monticello, Minnesota, generalized to city level
- Photo record
- JLI-2026-0011
The GoFundMe “Help Amaru Reunite with His Sister” was organized by Josh Liljenquist on behalf of Santos Zarate for attorney fees, court-related costs, and legal support. The ATV is kept separate from the fundraiser accounting because no separate evidence establishes its cost or funding source.
Relationship correction: JVL-V-000055 is unrelated. It remains an independent Video Library record and is not evidence for this story.
See every documented follow-up
What this page establishes and does not establish
What this establishes
The approved public record, status label, and dated metrics presented on this canonical story page.
What this does not establish
The ATV's cost and funding source are not attributed without separate evidence, and no final legal result is claimed. A public story does not establish private financial records, every later interaction, or a complete lifetime accounting.