Lemonade Day is just around the corner

In a little over a week, area youth will be putting up lemonade stands across the region. June 17 is
Lemonade Day for Community Futures, and the Yellowhead East region (Whitecourt, Swan Hills, Fox
Creek, Woodlands County, Mayerthorpe, Lac Ste. Anne County, Barrhead, County of Barrhead, Alberta
Beach and Onoway) has a bunch of young entrepreneurs eager to see their projects through to
completion.
Lemonade Day has been happening since 2007, when it launched in Houston, Texas. Since its humble
beginnings, Lemonade Day has grown from one city with 2,700 participants to over a million children
across the United States and Canada. Each year, the project reaches more and more children allowing
them to learn about owning a business by running a lemonade stand.
Community Futures joined forces with Lemonade Day in 2018, spreading to twelve Northern Alberta
Community Futures regions by 2021. The pandemic squashed growth for a bit, but the number of
participants has significantly jumped this year, with 1299 youth registered in Northern Alberta alone
(300+ more than last year), 110 of them within the Yellowhead East region. In Whitecourt, 26 children
are registered. Fox Creek has ten listed, and Blue Ridge and Mayerthorpe have three.
“The youth who participate in Lemonade Day get several benefits from the experience. They get to build
a business and see what it takes. They go to the town office and get a business license, and they have to
get a lease at a business they set up in front of. They also receive training,” said Lilian Wisser, Project
Coordinator for CFYE.
With workbooks for extra support, youth learn what it takes to start a lemonade business, including
creating their signature drink. Over the years, youth have gotten creative, making various kinds of
lemonade to sell, with some even selling cookies. Every dollar the youth make is theirs, with one gently
placed string. They are asked to spend some, save some and share some.
“We teach them to spend some money on themselves, share some money with an organization (like a
soup kitchen or shelter) and save some too. Some kids picked a trip to Disneyland or Mexico as
something to save for. I had one kid say that his classmate was sick, and he wanted to donate to her. I
thought that was really sweet. He said it would help her and make her happy. I was trying not to cry,”
smiled Wiser.
On Saturday, June 17, judges, which include town councillors, will go out and taste test the creations
and hand out three prizes: Best Tasting Lemonade, Best Stand and Entrepreneur of the Year. Wiser said
they are always looking for sponsorships for the prizes or supporting the setup. “You can sponsor an
individual kid for their booth, which can be $50 or whatever, something that helps them get supplies for
running the booth, like cups and jugs, or even supplying the supplies to make the booth.”
Wiser said the process is a great learning experience for several reasons. “They learn that they can’t just
start a business because many steps are involved. But it goes beyond that too. Anything they do in life
will need planning and for them to see it through. So, it’s good to see that kids are taking what they
learned during the Lemonade Day University and are excited about doing it.”

The training days have since passed, and the registration deadline has officially closed, but Wiser said
any last-minute stragglers can still jump on board and join the fun. “The kids I’ve talked to that have
done it before have gotten to see how much money they can make, and kids like money. But they also
work hard to get it and learn a lot.”
She said she encourages residents to check out https://lemonadeday.org/northern-alberta to see where
the stands will be set out on Lemonade Day so that they can show support to the young entrepreneurs.
Stands will continue to register and be added to the list up until the big day. “I think it’ll be great for
people to go out into the community and support these kids because they are our future entrepreneurs
and are the ones who will keep things going as they grow up. I think that’s important.”
Once the day wraps up, participants can upload their results for the chance at a regional prize. “Once
they’ve figured out their expenses and profits, they can also upload that information towards a national
prize. It’s pretty neat,” said Wiser. From financial literacy and economics to life skills and personal
development, the Lemonade Day program is fun and educational. Those interested in signing up can call
780-706-3500.