BY DEBBIE NAZARIAN, LEMONADE DAY NATIONAL DIRECTOR

It’s here! Lemonade Day season has officially begun. Back in 2007, the organization held its first Lemonade Day in Houston, Texas on the first Saturday in May, which coincided with National Lemonade Day. Last year, our youth entrepreneurs were incredibly resourceful in navigating the challenges of COVID in order to open for business.  Many started online lemonade businesses while others were able to do drive-through stands and provide delivery and pick-up services.  This year, although we can see a return to more normalcy later this summer, most cities have again pushed their dates to late summer or early fall.

Registration is open in most cities!

Most cities have opened registration on their Lemonade Day websites and the rest will follow soon. Our Lemonade Day city directors and their teams of mentors guide registrants every step of the way. Some use workbooks and others use our app – My Lemonade Day. Either way, registrants learn how to run their own business, and have plenty of fun doing it. Along the Lemonade Day journey, cities host Best Tasting Lemonade Day contests where contestants get to beta test their tasty lemonade, Build-A-Stand events that provide help in designing and constructing your stand, and even Shark Tank-style pitch events – Best of the Zest – where our budding entrepreneurs learn how to pitch investors and ask for a loan.

Kids will be ready when Lemonade Day comes to their city. After weeks and/or months of working on their business plans and testing their products, Lemonade Day is their business launch day and I am always so excited for every Lemonade Day participant – kids, parents, mentors, and leaders at our host cities and military bases.

If you would like to register your child to learn how he/she can start their own business and make their own money, you can get started today! Visit https://www.lemonadeday.org/find-your-city for more information.

More Than Just a Day

Lemonade Day is much more than a day or a season. It is a program that plants the seeds that change lives.  Our experiential program is infused with life skills, character education, and entrepreneurship. The foremost objective is to help today’s youth become the business leaders, social advocates, community volunteers and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow.  We build self-esteem and new mindsets that can propel youth to success they likely would not have pursued otherwise.

I encourage supporters to stop by a lemonade stand and talk to the kids. Ask them why they wanted to start a business and what they’ll do with their profits. I promise you the conversation will be enjoyable and inspiring.

I cannot thank our sponsors, partners and mentors who help Lemonade Day participants gain valuable life skills. Your support and coaching are invaluable to the Lemonade Day experience. Kids are learning from business leaders and you truly make Lemonade Day an enjoyable experience. So much so, that they cannot wait to register again for the second, third or fifth year. We appreciate you and all you give to the Lemonade Day program.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to share this blog with others and share my contact information, debbie@lemonadeday.org with anyone who would like to know how to help us provide our program to more children and youth or start Lemonade Day in a new city!