Houston Mayor Proclaims Sunday, May 4, as Lemonade Day

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Houston Mayor Bill White recently issued an official proclamation declaring Sunday, May 4, 2008, as Lemonade Day. Prepared 4 Life (P4L) enlisted the help of Mayor White, Houston Astros All Star Jeff Bagwell, Amegy Bank of Texas and numerous other partners to challenge everyone in the entire Houston metropolitan area to recruit 10,000 or more young people to start their own lemonade businesses on Lemonade Day.

“The City of Houston salutes and commends the organizers and participants of this worthwhile endeavor,” Mayor White noted in the proclamation.

Lemonade Day is a community-wide event hosted by Prepared 4 Life through which businesses, families and entire communities work together on a fun, family-oriented activity to train thousands of youth how to become successful entrepreneurs. Lemonade Day encourages young people to start, own and operate their own lemonade businesses in Houston’s inner city and suburbs.

P4L, which launched the first Lemonade Day on May 6, 2007, is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that prepares middle school students for life by instilling life skills, character education, and entrepreneurship through experiential after school programs. P4L registered 2,600 lemonade stands that were supported by more than 5,000 youth for the first Lemonade Day in 2007.

Amegy Bank of Texas is the title sponsor and Jeff Bagwell is the official spokesperson for Lemonade Day 2008.

Lemonade Day complements other prominent youth-focused organizations, including, but not limited to, the YMCA of Greater Houston, Junior Achievement of Houston, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston, the Houston Library, Houston Parks and Recreation, Houston Zoo, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, and Cooperative for After-School Enrichment (CASE). These community partners have agreed to assume a major leadership role in assisting P4L in registering new lemonade business owners.

Michael Holthouse, co-founder of Prepared 4 Life, said, “Prepared 4 Life very much appreciates that the City of Houston and Mayor White have recognized and elevated the position of Lemonade Day. Lemonade Day is all about teaching young people the fundamentals of business and financial management. They learn how to create budgets, secure investors, select a site, purchase supplies, set prices, serve customers, set profit-making goals, repay their investors, and give back to the community or a charity of their choice. For many young people, Lemonade Day offers them their first experience in earning their own money and opening a bank account.”

Holthouse added: “The power of Lemonade Day is simple: almost every adult in this country can recall experiences when they were kids with either selling lemonade or buying it from their friends. Setting up lemonade stands is part of the fiber and fabric of America. On May 4, 2008, I’d like to see everyone in the entire Houston area selling lemonade, buying lemonade or drinking it! I am challenging the entire metropolitan area of Houston to help me recruit 10,000 kids and their families to become lemonade stand owners and operators all over Houston on May 4.”

More about Lemonade Day and P4L

Please visit http://www.LemonadeDay.org for more information about ways that businesses, individuals, families, teachers, churches, associations and young entrepreneurs can get involved in Lemonade Day, May 4, 2008.

For specific information about sponsorships and donations, please contact Julie Eberly at 713/626-5511 or email jeberly@prepared4life.org. To volunteer, please contact Ivana Shumberg at the same number or email ishumberg@prepared4life.org. To register young entrepreneurs, please log on to www.LemonadeDay.org.

For more information on Prepared 4 Life, please visit www.prepared4life.org.

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