By Steven Gordon, Lemonade Day National President

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

            Peter Drucker, writer, professor, and management consultant

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

            Walt Disney, co-founder of The Walt Disney Company

These are just a few powerful quotes from big thinkers who inspire me and millions of others throughout the world to do and be my very best.

With “Lemonade Season” now underway, the messages contained within these short yet impactful quotes are excellent reminders of the mission of Lemonade Day. Every one of us involved in Lemonade Day is playing an important role in “building the future, stirring up success” for young people of today who can become business owners of tomorrow.  Kids who register for Lemonade Day and host a lemonade stand in their community learn lessons that will serve them for life: business planning, product development, marketing and sales, customer service, financial management, and charitable giving.

Lemonade Day is extremely fortunate to have garnered support in big and small ways from major corporations and individuals – from Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Portfolios with Purpose, Kendra Scott, Reddy Ice, and True Citrus to our national staff, board of directors, city champions, sponsors, mentors, volunteers and all our Lemonade Day entrepreneurs in the United States and Canada. Every volunteer hour spent, every dollar raised to support Lemonade Day local and national initiatives, every drop of lemonade sipped and savored promote youth entrepreneurship. Moreover, we are nurturing a mindset now among our youth that correlates with success in the future.

As kids participating in Lemonade Day paint their cities, towns and military bases yellow over the next several days and months, we adults will be awed by their creativity, their confidence and their passion for making a difference in their lives now and for many years to come.  These kids are creating their future, and they are not just thinking and talking about their hopes and dreams—they are pursuing those hopes and dreams, one lemonade stand at a time!

Thank you for everything you do to support all that Lemonade Day represents. I welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Please email me any time at steven@lemonadeday.org.

ABOUT LEMONADE DAY

Founded in Houston in 2007 by Michael and Lisa Holthouse, Lemonade Day is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching every child across North America the business and financial skills that are the key ingredients of entrepreneurship.  By learning these skills early in life, children will be better prepared to be successful, financially healthy adults.  Through our fun, hands-on program, kids K-5 are empowered to start their very own business—a lemonade stand—and experience the feeling of earning real money, using 100% of their profit to spend, save and share based on their own goals.

Lemonade Day is hosted in 66 territories in North America and is growing. Over the past 10 years, we have served more than 1 million kids in our kid entrepreneur programs. Within the next five years, Lemonade Day leaders estimate that 250,000 mentors and millions more kids will be hosting lemonade stands in North America and on other continents throughout the world.

Please visit LemonadeDay.org to learn how to participate in Lemonade Day in your city or to donate locally or nationally. Lemonade Day very much appreciates the support of our national sponsor Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers (raising canes.com), who is joined by our in-kind sponsors Reddy Ice Corporation (reddyice.com) and True Citrus (truelemon.com).