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Program designed to teach entrepreneurship to youth

The Lemonade Day youth entrepreneurship program will return to Manchester for the second-year in a row Thursday, May 18 from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Hosted by The Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce, Lemonade Day is a program that teaches students how to create a business plan, market a product, and determine the cost per cup of lemonade sold to make a profit.

“Everybody is a part of what we are doing, we could not do this alone,” Chamber Director Katy Riddle said during the organization’s monthly luncheon May 2.

Riddle said all elementary schools in Manchester will be participating in the event this year, which will feature 28 lemonade stands at schools and area businesses.

“It is always the challenges that I don’t foresee,” Riddle said. “I imagined myself begging for businesses to let us host a stand, the opposite happened. I had more businesses willing to host stands than I had spots. That is incredible.”

“We want those businesses to promote themselves of course, but they are there for the kids and the kids are so psyched,” she added.

Riddle said 485 students will be participating in Lemonade Day this year.

During the luncheon, Manchester Mayor Marilyn Howard read a proclamation, officially declaring Thursday, May 18 as Lemonade Day in Manchester.

The proclamation read in part, “whereas for the second-year the Manchester community will play host to a global youth entrepreneurship program that teaches leadership and business skills by encouraging children to launch a lemonade business and whereas the Manchester Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Manchester City Schools, Coffee County Schools and other organizations join forces to bring this free and innovative program for the fourth and fifth grade students…”

County Mayor Judd Matheny also issued a proclamation declaring May 18, 2023 as Lemonade Day in Coffee County, Tennessee.

Since its inception in 2007 in Houston, Texas, Lemonade Day has grown from serving 2,700 children in one city to more than one million in more than 80 licensed markets throughout the United States and other countries.

“Lemonade Day has developed a playbook to unlock youth potential and talent through opportunity creation,” Nicole Cassier-Mason, Lemonade Day National chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Our program is infused with life skills, business and financial literacy, character education, career exploration and mentorship.”

For more information about Manchester’s Lemonade Day, visit www.manchestertnchamber.org.