By Steven Gordon, Lemonade Day National President

Lemonade Day,  as those of you reading and following this blog and supporting us, know that our  program was established in Houston by serial entrepreneur Michael Holthouse and his wife Lisa in 2007 through their Holthouse Foundation for Kids non-profit.  Lemonade Day originally was celebrated only n Houston on the first Sunday in May for several consecutive years. Now, with as many as 80 communities in the United States and other countries holding Lemonade Day licenses and hosting Lemonade Day events, Lemonade Day has evolved far beyond just one day or one weekend. In fact, “Lemonade Season” typically runs from late April through early September each year. Any day can be a “Lemonade Day, a perfect opportunity to teach young kids business and character-building skills that will serve them for life through the process of hosting a lemonade stand. In fact, some of our Lemonade Day participants choose to host lemonade stands and sell lemonade year-round.

Photo credit: Lemonade Day Lubbock

Some of you may also be aware that Tuesday, August 20th, is promoted on numerous web sites and national calendars as National Lemonade Day. So….let’s take advantage of that! Let’s encourage  kids to set up a lemonade stand on August 20th  in their neighborhood or local park, at their school, parents’ or relatives’  place of business, animal shelter, senior’s home,  community center  or any location that affords them a chance to sell lemonade and earn money for themselves or a cause that matters to them   -- first and foremost, however, with permission, adult supervision, and health and safety parameters taken into consideration.

Why not offer kids another way and another day to exercise their creativity and  resourcefulness muscles while also gaining financial literacy and business acumen? And why not provide an incentive?

Lemonade Day is offering kids a chance to win a new bicycle if they host a lemonade stand between August 20th and September 1st and submit their business results. Here is the link to the entry form, with terms and conditions outlined:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BizResults8_20_9_1

  
Photo credit: Lemonade Day Humboldt County and Lemonade Day Okotoks

Hosting a lemonade stand on August 20th will provide kids who have already returned to school an opportunity to organize a fun and productive activity that can be shared with their classmates, teachers, friends, and neighbors. Those who are still enjoying the last few weeks of summer break may want to host a lemonade stand with a group of siblings, cousins or friends. The kids might challenge each other to compete to see which stand earns the most money or contributes the most to a charity. With “back to school” on the minds of just about everyone in North America, our Lemonade Day national team will be helping our  City Directors, City Champions, parents, relatives, mentors, sponsors, and volunteers to capitalize on building awareness of our program throughout the school year.  Our goal for 2020 is secure 100  Lemonade Day license holders. Our goal for 2023 is to secure 250,000 or more adult mentors to assist us in bring Lemonade Day lessons to every child in America. We are gearing up for our National City Directors’ Conference in Houston September 25 through September 27. 

Please let me know of anyone who might be interested in getting involved with our Lemonade Day program for a day, a week, a month, a year or many years. We appreciate all inquiries, ideas and comments. 

Thank you for your support of Lemonade Day each and every day. Please email me any time at Steven@LemonadeDay.org.