Want to instill the spirit of entrepreneurship in your kids?

Metro Denver Lemonade Day is pleased to announce that it is back! Lemonade Day is a free, community-wide event dedicated to teaching children how to start, own and operate their own business through the simple and time-honored act of building and running a lemonade stand. Lemonade Day will take place throughout Metro Denver on June 3, 2012.

The objective of Lemonade Day is to teach youth how to start and run their own lemonade business. Through this enterprise, children will learn the entrepreneurial skills necessary to be successful in the future and become contributing members of their communities. The best part of the program is that after covering their expenses and paying back their investors, children are encouraged to open a youth savings account so that they may save a little, spend a little and give a little, donating a portion of their profits to a local charity of their choice.

What you need to know

Who: Youth of all ages, from pre-K through high school, can register for an official Lemonade Day stand. Adults are needed to participate as mentors and volunteers. In addition, community support from schools, churches, businesses, and youth organizations is essential to the success of Lemonade Day.

How: Each child that registers here for Lemonade Day receives a bright, yellow backpack with informational workbooks. One for the child, and another for a responsible adult. The workbooks outline the steps needed to start a business, from setting a goal, creating a business plan, forming a budget and finding an investor, to saving money and donating a portion back to their community.

Inspired by the lessons Houston entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Holthouse taught his young daughter and her friend when they set–up a lemonade stand, Lemonade Day was born in 2007. “Our goal is to reach kids at a critical stage in their life, where they are at a crossroads between going down a very good or very bad path,” said Holthouse. “It’s crucial that we teach future generations the importance of responsible business practices and instill the entrepreneurial spirit at a young age—an age that allows them to have the hope and vision to excel in the future.”

For more information about Lemonade Day, or to become a participant, volunteer or sponsor, please visit denver.lemonadeday.org. Registration will be open on April 30, 2012.