Lemonade Day at Interfaith

We are so happy to bring you a fun update from our friends at Interfaith Family Services.  The kids in their program recently participated in Lemonade Day, a program focused on teaching kids the power of entrepreneurship.  Below is a fun story from our friends at Interfaith on their great success!

The big event the children participated in this month was Lemonade Day. They children started preparing for Lemonade Day on April 2nd. Lemonade Day is a national event that takes place every year in different states. A fun, experimental program teaches youth about how to start, and own their own business. First, there’s “Goal setting”- this included business goals, savings goal, spending goals, and sharing goals. The children set a goal of raising $1000, which was an increase from what was earned last year. They all decided to donate a portion of their proceeds to Brother Bill’s Helping Hands. The children will also receive a portion of their earnings.

The next step was to “Make a plan” – The children secured a site for their stand at HG Supply Co. Developed and tasted several lemonade flavors before deciding on their 3 flavors (Spice on Ice, Cucumber Lemonade, and Strawberry-Kiwi). They completed their budget for the stand and supplies, and then chose a business partner who would invest in their business. Their business partner this year was Michael Stevens. Once their plan was completed, they arranged a formal meeting with Michael to present their plan. The children dressed for the occasion, and had samples of their product for Michael to taste what he was investing in. Michael was very impressed by the children organization and communication skills, and congratulated them on having “one of the best presentations he has experienced since working with youth services.” The children did receive the loan amount of $100 loan with 5% interest. He also commended them on setting out to raise more money than has been raised in past years. The children worked tirelessly on May 4th, cutting fruit, blending, and making about 20+ gallons of lemonade. We met at 8am on May 5th to complete the finishing touches before opening the stand at 9am. The children worked until 5pm on Sat. and had a great time. They had the opportunity to meet and tell customers about Lemonade Day, and the goals they were working to accomplish. The children exceeded their goal, and raised $1100.66. The children will receive their share of the proceeds. The children expressed being proud of what they had accomplished, and mainly because it was what they created from start to finish. They were overjoyed and excited about all the money they raised and was ready to do it again the next weekend.