Three young Oakville girls, Isla, Raina, and Riley, are making a difference in their community and setting a great example by donating all of their lemonade stand profits to Front Line Outreach, an organization which helps homeless individuals and those in need.
The young entrepreneurs initially planned to donate a portion of their earnings but decided to give everything when they realized the impact they could have.
The idea began with a desire to host a bake sale and lemonade stand to celebrate the end of summer.
"We wanted to do a bake sale/lemonade stand at the end of summer," Isla told Oakville News. "We wanted to donate part of the profits to a charity. My mom suggested a couple of options. We liked the idea of Front Line Outreach because it helps homeless people and those in need in Oakville."
Though the stand raised $30, Raina shared that the group initially intended to donate 30% of their earnings.
"Our sign said 30% goes to Frontline Charity, but we felt that $30 wasn't a lot of money to donate, and we wanted to give an amount that would make a difference and could actually help people, so we decided to give it all to Frontline," said Raina.
In the end, the trio's generous spirit grew even further when Isla's mother matched the donation, allowing them to contribute a total of $60 to the charity.
The girls hope their project inspires others in the community. "It's fun to bake and have a lemonade stand," Isla said, "but by donating money, you can also help someone in need."
"It’s wonderful to see kids want to help and put it into action," said CEO of Front Line Outreach, Ron Shantz.
"Hats off to their parents who taught them well. In the charitable sector, every penny of support gets multiplied exponentially into the future. These girls are a great example to others and inspiration to us to keep on doing what we do."