When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.
Or, in the case of three Fergus youngsters, Lemonaid.
Chloe Deraiche, 11, Elea Stephenson, 10, and her brother, Kai, 9, opened a lemonade stand here on Provost Lane on Monday afternoon to raise money for Sick Kids Hospital and the Guelph Humane Society.
It was their second such business venture this summer, in aid of a friend, Emily, who became very ill and had to spend time in Sick Kids Hospital. She is now on the mend, but they noted she was in hospital for a long time.
“We’re selling lemonade, no specific price – for our friend,” said Chloe. “And for the Guelph Humane Society, to help get animals adopted.”
Their causes attracted a lot of business.
They had been to the store twice for supplies, and their mom was doing another run by mid afternoon – after their stand opened at 11am. By 1:30pm, they had raised a grand total that surpassed $60.
Elea said, “We did it once before at her [Chloe’s] place.” She explained that was a garage sale, and Chloe decided to sell lemonade too.
That July venture netted the trio $25, and in the lazy hazy days of August, they decided to try again on Provost Lane, one block north of St. Andrew Street.
They kept the drinks cold in a cooler, set up a stand with chairs so they could relax in slack times, and had umbrellas to ward off the heat.
Elea said the reason for the lemonade stand was Chloe “wanted to give more money.”
They noted that while there was no fixed price, a number of people simply made donations to the cause.
And would they do it again.
“Maybe. It depends on how much money we raise,” Elea said.
Chloe added, “It’s fun.”
