By Steven Gordon, Lemonade Day National President

The power of Lemonade Day to make a lasting impression on young business owners, long after they have sold that final glass of lemonade and counted all the money that they’ve earned, is truly amazing. 

I am pleased and honored to report that Lemonade Day has engaged more than 1 million kids in the process of starting a small business since our inception in 2007. Our program will be even better equipped to extend the youth entrepreneurship experience to millions more kids in North America with generous contributions from #GivingTuesday donors and our year-end fundraising campaign supporters.  Funds raised for the Lemonade Day national program are used to provide printed and digital tools for the delivery of Lemonade Day business and character-building lessons to young children at no cost to them, anywhere in the United States and Canada.

Hailey Hertzman and Katie Vonder Haar are two young ladies from Louisville, Ky. who were inspired to apply their Lemonade Day lessons and experiences to start their Ooh La Lemon online store a few months ago during their summer break.  Incredibly gracious and mature for their years, Hailey and Katie designated our Lemonade Day national program as the non-profit beneficiary of 25 percent of their online sales on #GivingTuesday, November 27.  Items available include gift cards, accessories for dogs and humans, party products, kitchen towels, and supplies for lemonade stands.

Here are a few examples of products available on their website, www.oohlalemonstore.com:

100 percent cotton dishtowel, $8.00

Lemon Bliss Cotton Tote, $25

Dog Collar and Bow Tie, $8.00 and up

Beyond the Lemonade Stand

Katie and Hailey, now in sixth grade, earned the title of 2017 Lemonade Day National Youth Entrepreneurs. They appeared on local, regional, and national television and radio programs; visited members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill; assisted with supporting a financial literacy bill in the Kentucky legislature; and served as guest speakers for numerous events attended by kids and adults. (Read more about these young ladies here!) 

Here are a few details from Hailey and Katie about their #GivingTuesday campaign:

“We will be highlighting our campaign on Facebook and Instagram, and we will promote it within our school. We hope to be highlighted in the school weekly newsletter. We would like to donate 25% of our sales on #GivingTuesday to Lemonade Day. We would also like to discuss the opportunity to sponsor a Lemonade Day participant for 2019.”

Michelle Hertzman, Hailey’s mom, and Libby Gray, Katie’s mom, shared these comments about how Lemonade Day has made a difference for their daughters and family members:

“Lemonade Day has provided the girls with so many unique and interesting opportunities. They believe in the business and charitable lessons that Lemonade Day teaches young children.

“The girls have gained so much confidence and business knowledge throughout their Lemonade Day experience. They better understand the value of money. Since starting Ooh La Lemon in mid-2018, they have interacted on a much more mature level and seem to be thinking about how this experience can help them with future life endeavors such as college, businesses, and philanthropy.

“We could not be more thrilled with the entire Lemonade Day experience. We're grateful for the people we've all met, and the continued opportunities for Katie and Hailey.”

Please check out www.oohlalemonstore.com, follow Ooh La Lemon on Facebook and Instagram, and mark your calendar for November 27 (#GivingTuesday) to support Lemonade Day or your favorite cause. Please also share this blog post via email contacts and social media platforms on behalf of Katie, Hailey and Lemonade Day.

Especially this week, as the Thanksgiving Day holiday is only two days away, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Ooh La Lemon and to everyone who is involved in Lemonade Day in any way. Each sponsor, volunteer, parent, mentor, community partner, and team member is making a difference in the life of a child. Together, we are “building the future and stirring up success” for generations.

Thank you for being a believer in Lemonade Day.

As always, I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Please email me anytime at Steven@LemonadeDay.org.