BY STEVEN GORDON, LEMONADE DAY NATIONAL PRESIDENT

Without question, just about every child and adult in the world is feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in one way or another. With the number of confirmed cases continuing to increase and unemployment rates rising to levels not seen since the Great Depression, we are wise to focus our attention on our health and well-being in every aspect of those words ― physical, mental, social-emotional, spiritual and financial.

The upside is that disruption such as that wrought by this pandemic creates ample opportunities for creative problem-solving and demonstrates the power of resourcefulness and resilience.

Lemonade Day is continuing to stay true to our commitment to equipping and empowering the next generation of business owners and community leaders by teaching them skills that will serve them for life. Our national team in Houston and our city directors are focusing on keeping kids and their family members safe by transitioning our program this year to the free Lemonopolis online lesson platform, hosting virtual contests and encouraging kids to launch virtual lemonade stands and other ventures ― dog walking, pet sitting and home or lawn care! We are still hopeful that actual Lemonade Day events will be happening at some point during this calendar year in parks, neighborhoods, community centers, places of worship, retail centers and farmers’ markets. Of course, we will also continue to provide guidance for those who are able to set up lemonade stands in their community on adhering to social distancing, sanitation and other health and safety protocols.

Business and Financial Benefits

What better time than now to showcase the value of the Lemonade Day program in teaching kids how to create a business plan; create a budget; ask for a start-up loan; price their products and services effectively and set goals for spending, saving and sharing their profits! Working through these and other Lemonade Day lessons will make kids smarter about money, and they will gain financial literacy. In fact, some of our kids and their relatives are inspired to start other businesses because of their great experience with Lemonade Day: https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/2019/10/25/local-girl-aleese-haile-recognized-nationally-lemonade-entrepreneur/2449872001/.

Lemonade Day participants who embrace our proven “recipe for sweet success” and launch a lemonade business can pay back their investors (usually, their parents) who lend them startup funds for lemonade ingredients, cups, ice and other necessary items. We encourage kids to align with any of our bank or credit union partners of all types and sizes to open a checking or savings account or add to an existing account. In fact, the financial institutions who support our Lemonade Day programs also provide many other services that can have a positive effect on an entire family ― such as assisting with financial planning, opening investment and retirement accounts, issuing credit cards and providing small business loans or consumer loans for home mortgages and vehicles.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Banks, credit unions, accounting firms and other financial services providers have been long-term supporters of Lemonade Day since our program began in 2007 in Houston. Their leaders and staff members have interacted extensively with our founders, national team, board members, city directors, kids, parents, volunteers and community partners as sponsors and advisors. These amazing people and the entities they represent have contributed their time, talent and treasure to the tune of thousands of dollars and thousands of service hours for the past 13 years. Many have served as judges for best tasting lemonade contests and pitch competitions. Some have served as guest speakers and workshop leaders in classrooms and after-school youth programs. Others have worked directly with kids and their family members to set up new accounts and to build or expand relationships.

Some of the 51 financial services partners who have earned a much-deserved shout-out include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Amegy Bank
• Bank of America
• Cadence Bank
• Chase Bank
• CIT Bank
• Frost Bank
• Prosperity Bank
• Wells Fargo
• US Bank
• Bank of America              
• Fort Hood National Bank
• First United    

Now and always, I am extremely grateful for the relationships we enjoy with these and countless other strategic partners. All our sponsors and partners play an essential role in enabling Lemonade Day to deliver powerful lessons and positive experiences that will make a meaningful and memorable impact on kids of all ages!

Thank you for being a Lemonade Day fan and follower. Registration for Lemonade Day is always free. For the remainder of this year, kids in the North America can access their Lemonopolis lessons anytime, anywhere on any device. Next year, kids all over the world will have access to the My Lemonade Day app.

Please check out www.lemonadeday.org for information and updates and follow us on our social media platforms. Stay tuned for some exciting news that we will be announcing in the next few weeks!

I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Please send me an email anytime at Steven@lemonadeday.org.

In the meantime, stay great and stay safe!