2009 Winners of Inc. Magazine's
Best Lemonade Stand in America Contest “Every cup of lemonade provides a day of school in China.” Say the two 11-year-olds
What started out as a simple lemonade stand on the streets of a small New Hampshire community nearly three years ago has grown to be recognized as the Best Lemonade Stand in America according to Inc. Magazine, a nationally recognized resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
“People don’t think kids can make a difference, but we really can!” exclaimed Allison, 11, upon learning that she and her friend Abby, also 11, won the national contest while raising money to change the lives of six very lucky girls in rural China.
Abby and Allison and volunteers Lia, Emily, Holly, Ava, Grant and Luke have been screaming at the top of their lungs! Not at a ball game or an amusement park, but at the beach. They have been yelling, "Lemonade and brownies! 100% for charity!" For the past two years, the girls have sold lemonade on the side of the road. This summer, instead of waiting for people to drive by, they decided to put their business on wheels. “It’s like the ice cream truck. You bring your business to your customers,” said Allison.
In July, Abby and Allison entered a national contest for Inc.com's "Best Lemonade Stand in America." http://www.inc.com/lemonade/2009/read_story.html?id=61&o=40 When asked about the money they earned in the first weekend, Abby wrote, "In one day, we made $155 toward our goal of $300. We sold out of everything in just two hours! Next time, we are going to have a second wagon with extra supplies so we can earn even more. Since the family of the girl we sponsor only makes $214 a year, it is important that we reach our goal or she will not be able to finish high school." Since then, they received votes from 41 states and 8 countries and received the most votes in the history of the contest!
By the end of the summer, Abby, Allison and their friends raised an incredible $3,267 including $1,000 from the very generous Dr. Pepper Snapple Group ~ the makers of ReaLemon. The kids donated 100% of their earnings to Moving Mountains China. They earmarked $1,800 of that amount to send six female honor students in rural China to high school. This one-to-one sponsorship program allows them to exchange letters twice a year with the girls they have sponsored allowing them to understand the results of all their hard work. The kids not only raised money, by sharing their story, they inspired at least five other families to sponsor students in China!
Last week, Abby and Allison received a phone call from Inc. Magazine asking them to come to New York City to be interviewed on Inc.TV. The girls and two other finalists were asked to bring not only their lemonade but their lemonade stands to the New York City headquaters.
While there, Allison, Abby and Lia were named the grand prize winners!
To see the interview click here: http://www.inc.com/inctv/2009/09/best-lemonade-stand-winners.html
The next morning the girls were interviewed on The Today Show in Rockefeller Center...
To view a clip http://www.youtube.com/user/maxarsolutions
...and by FOX news.
Pictured here (from left to right)
FOX weatherman
Lia Jodoin of Rye, NH
Emily Cassidy of Harrisville, RI
Holly Cassidy of Harrisville, RI
Allison Jodoin of Rye, NH
Abby Suchocki of Rye, NH not pictured here.
Emily and Holly volunteered for several days this summer selling lemonade sponsoring two girls with the money they earned.
...and interviewed by the local newspaper http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090919/GJNEWS_01/709199919
Haiyan was sponsored for 3 years by Abby and Allison
Zhi was sponsored for 3 years by Allison
Mei was sponsored in her final year by Abby and Allison
Lei Li was sponsored in her final year by Emily and Holly
Lailei was also sponsored in her final year by Emily and Holly
Selected Voter Comments in Inc.’s Online “Best Lemonade Stand in America” Contest
Michele – Norman, OK
When life gives you lemons...give them to some great kids!
Rick A. - Littleton, CO
Location, location, location. If they are not in the right place to sell, they move to the best place. Somebody please give them more wagons so they can make a caravan for a great cause.
Susan L. - Brooklyn, CT
Absolutely inspiring. Stories of kids like these should be on the summer reading lists of schools across America.
Belinda - Eliot, ME
This is genius - raising funds for a great charitable effort, bringing the product to the customers, and doing it all with compassion, enthusiasm and a sense of fun. If this is what our future looks like, we're in good hands!
Mirja - Jerusalem
Abby, it is wonderful that you care about other girls your age and are even ready to work hard for helping them. If big people were to do the same we would have another world.
Aurora S. - Ft. Myers, FL
As a foreign teacher of English in China, this story is inspiring. Education is always the key to a brighter future and the selflessness of these girls should be a bench mark for society. Well done!
Q&A
What does Moving Mountains China do? Moving Mountains China provides scholarships to female honor students who have been accepted into the best high schools in their counties. But with an average family income of only $266 a year, the $300 tuition is completely out of reach. Moving Mountains matches the students with their sponsors and allows them to exchange letters twice a year.
“For kids like these, it is incredibly empowering. The amount that they need to raise is attainable and the results of their hard work is tangible to them. They will know exactly who received their donation and through the letters, they will learn how they have changed their lives.“ Kim Jodoin ~ Founder Moving Mountains China.
How did you get so many votes? Abby: Our moms emailed friends and family and asked them to vote and to send it to their friends. So many people forwarded it, that we got votes from 41 states and 8 countries.
Why did you name your stand Moving Lemonade? Abby: We named it Moving Lemonade because it is a moving lemonade stand and because it ties into the charity’s name ~ Moving Mountains China.
How did you make your stand? Abby: First, I came up with idea of putting one mountain on each side and topping each mountain with a flag one from America and one from China. We put ice caps to make people think of cold lemonade.
How much money did you make? With friends, we made $1,886. Then Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (the makers of ReaLemon) gave us $1,000.
Why China? Abby: Because in China they don’t make as much money and people in America have better opportunities to go school. Emily: If you think about it, for $300, you can stay in a hotel in New York City for one night. In China, that same $300 can change someone’s life.
Why do you like Moving Mountains China? Allison: Because it’s fun to write to our pen pals. Abby: I like it because we can change the life of a girl just by going to the beach.
How many days did you sell lemonade on the beach? Allison: With Abby, we went about five times but I also went with my friend Ava and my two cousins Emily and Holly for three days.
What was the best part of running your lemonade stand?
Allison: When we realized that each cup of lemonade we sold, paid for one day of school for our pen pal. Abby: Because I could do it with my best friend.
Why did you start running the stand?Allison: To sponsor my pen pal Zhi and I kept doing it for that. But now, I realize that I shouldn’t do it for that. I should help kids who can’t raise as much money as me but if I have extra, I would sponsor another girl.
For more information on Moving Mountains please visit http://www.movingmountainschina.org/.
