BY STEVEN GORDON, LEMONADE DAY NATIONAL PRESIDENT

Lemonade Day national leaders and supporters are seeking to expand from its 80 licensed communities to 220 across the United States and beyond, attracting 250,000 or more adult mentors over the next four years to help kids learn how to start and operate their own lemonade business. Lemonade Day teaches young kids entrepreneurial lessons and character-building skills that serve them for life, such as resourcefulness, confidence, tenacity, creativity and social responsibility.

This campaign serves as the catalyst for Lemonade Day to transform the way it communicates with its users and communities - seeking to raise $1.5 million by year-end to create a new digital platform called My Lemonade Day—next generation technology on an app without the need for an Internet connection. This app will be designed to eliminate existing barriers that prevent kids from accessing their lessons, which include business planning, site selection, recipe development, marketing and sales, customer service, financial management and charitable giving.

Lemonade Day is approaching foundations, corporations and other potential donors interested in contributing a one-time gift to this campaign to fund the My Lemonade Day app. This investment will allow for the unrestricted expansion of the Lemonade Day program delivered by our national office in Houston to other communities, vastly improving our method to reach and impact kids while giving more aspiring youth entrepreneurs modern access to life skills that will help them succeed.

The campaign is co-chaired by National Lemonade Day Board members Jennifer Baur, President and CEO of Rockwood Shutters, and Latrice Tubbs, Senior Vice President of Healthcare Banking for Commerce Bank. The board has contributed at 100% participation and is highly engaged in this ask period. Board members include:

Charlie Hamilton, Board Chairman for Lemonade Day, Founding Partner of Caprock Partners

Jennifer Baur, President and CEO of Rockwood Shutters

Joe Daly, Senior Partner at Gallup

Douglas Erwin, CEO of Red House Associates

Steven Gordon, National President of Lemonade Day

Lisa Holthouse, Founder of Houston CityBook

Michael Holthouse, Founder of Holthouse Interests

Amanda Sequeira, Vice President of Community Engagement for First National Bank Texas

Latrice Tubbs, Senior Vice President of Healthcare Banking for Commerce Bank

If you have key contacts with leaders of organizations focused on education, entrepreneurship or social responsibility, or with individuals that are enthusiastic about supporting the next generation of leaders, I would welcome the opportunity to schedule a conference call to discuss how we can engage them in Lemonade Day and this campaign. Significant donor recognition packages are available for major gifts. Please email me at Steven@LemonadeDay.org to arrange a call, web or face-to-face meeting soon.

Thank you for your support now and always. Please share this blog with your social media network of choice.