Lemonade Day 2012

Celebrate Lemonade Day with Blooming Kids for Kindness

author: Sara Beggs, parent co-organizer of Blooming Kids for Kindness

Just about every kid wants to have a lemonade stand at some point in their lives. And who doesn’t feel fantastic about supporting that kid and paying a little extra, no matter how mediocre thatlemonade may be? Michael Holthouse, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, wanted to build on that desire, knowing that several critical skills for life could be learned by teaching kids how to start, own and operate their very own “Lemonade Business.” And so, in 2007, Lemonade Day was started. Since then it has grown from 2,700 kids to 120,000 kids, in 31 cities across America and Canada.

On May 19, 2012 Bloomington will get to experience what Lemonade Day is all about. Prior to this day, kids and their mentors are engaging in business planning, stand building, taste testing and more—to create the most successful lemonade business possible. Across America, kids are excited about the prospect of selling their lemonade and then getting to spend some, save some and share some with charity.

Some lemonade stands will be run by families, some by school groups and still others by various clubs. Bloomingfoods is a sponsor of Lemonade Day and is happy to be working with one such club, Blooming Kids for Kindness (BK4K). This informal group of families has the purpose of encouraging their kids to care about their communities and believe that they can make a difference no matter how small they are. BK4K will be quenching the thirst of Truckload Sale consumers at Bloomingfoods East in the afternoon. We hope to see you there!

While the BK4K kids are sure their 100% natural secret lemonade recipe will make this stand different, the other difference is that ALL profits will go to benefit the issues of hunger and homelessness, BK4K’s chosen focus for the year. The kids are excited about being able to support Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, a local food pantry they have worked with before, and Habitat for Humanity, an organization created to build and repair simple, decent, affordable houses in partnership with those in need. (Some of the BK4K moms a re involved in the Habitat Womens’ Build.)

While BK4K has been creative in its efforts to raise money for charities in the past (a bounce-a-thon to support the creation of a library in Zambia, selling spin art cards to help rebuild a Haitian school destroyed by the earthquake), the lemonade stand has been the activity that has most engaged the kids, in everything from choosing the charities to budgeting the exact cost of a single cup of lemonade and building the stand. It’s already been fun, and we haven’t even sold a single cup yet!  “We’re going to sell natural lemonade, not the cheap powdered one,” adds Alex, age 11.