Lemonade Day Houston Announces Three Winners of Virtual Art Contest for Young Entrepreneurs

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Generously Donates Gift Baskets as Prizes

The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired Lemonade Day Houston youth entrepreneurship program leaders and young business owners to a new level of creativity.

Three local students have emerged the winners of Lemonade Day Houston’s first-ever virtual art contest for kids. Lemonade Day is a free program that teaches kids how to start a lemonade business or any other age-appropriate venture such as dog-walking, babysitting, home care or lawn care.

About the Contest and the Winners

Lemonade Day Houston invited any child who registered to participate in Lemonade Day’s Lemonopolis online lesson program to enter its 2020 art contest with parental permission. Lemonade Day City Champions from Bellaire, Houston, and Sugar Land judged the contest and selected the following young artists as winners in their respective category:

•            Pre-K through Second Grade Category: “Strawberry Pink Lemonade” drawing created by Yonica Gilmore, a second grader who attends Yellowstone Academy and lives near Pearland.

•            Third Grade through Fifth Grade Category: “Lemon Bear” drawing by Myles Brown, a fourth grade Honor Roll student who attends Fort Bend Independent School District’s Oakland Elementary School. He lives with his family in Sugar Land.

•            Sixth Grade through Twelfth Grade Category:  “Lemon Hero” drawing by Kai Elam, a sixth grader who attends Stafford Intermediate School and lives with his family in Stafford.

“Adversity provides kids of all ages an opportunity to adapt and be resourceful, to become stronger and better because of the challenges we face. Lemonade Day is more than just a day and more than just a lemonade stand. Our Houston program now operates year-round, with most of our regularly scheduled activities happening September through June,” commented Jackson, Lemonade Day Houston City Director and owner of Gaye Jackson’s Flowers.

Jackson added that with the Stay Home orders, they have extended the program through the summer to give kids an opportunity to launch their own lemonade business when the threat of the novel coronavirus has abated.

“Until it is safe for kids and families to set up a lemonade stand in a public place and be exposed to larger groups of people, we will continue to offer virtual contests to engage our participants and expand on the lessons they are learning through our online program,” said Jackson. “Our goal is to motivate kids to pursue the entrepreneurial and character-building lessons through this challenging time for our community, our country and our world.”

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, a long-term supporter of Lemonade Day locally and nationally, has generously donated gift baskets for each winner. Delivered in compliance with health and safety regulations, these decorative baskets include Raising Cane’s gift cards redeemable for meals and beverages, a stuffed animal that resembles the Raising Cane dog mascot, and other novelty items.

Gaye Jackson, Lemonade Day Houston city director, and Karen O’Kane, Lemonade Day Houston assistant city director, are especially thankful to Ava Hernandez of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers for organizing and shipping the gift baskets to the contest winners.  Based in Houston, Hernandez is the area leader of marketing, fry cook and cashier for Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.

About Lemonade Day

Since 2007, Lemonade Day has engaged more than one million kids in 84 communities in the experience of launching their own lemonade business. In the process, these young entrepreneurs acquire skills that  serve them for life.  Lemonade Day encourages kids to spend some, save some and share some of the money they earn with a cause that matters to them.

For more information about Lemonade Day Houston or to register kids for the program and contests, visit www.lemonadeday.org/houston.