For a fifth year, 13-year-old Emma Assisi and her friend Mirabelle Petch set up a lemonade stand on Colborne St. in Bradford, hoping to catch the “overflow” from CarrotFest on Saturday.
They sold lemonade for only 50 cents a glass, and ‘camp bracelets’ and keychains made by Emma for $1 apiece.
It was an all-day effort, sitting out in the hot August sun, but the young social entrepreneurs weren’t doing it for themselves. All of the proceeds were earmarked for a charity - this year, for the Humane Society.
“Every year, I change the charity,” said Emma. Last year, the funds went to Dog Tales animal rescue and sanctuary in King City. The year before that, their charity of choice was the Hospital for Sick Children.
But animals have always been near and dear to Emma’s heart, so this year the proceeds will go towards the purchase of food, blankets and toys for animals in care at the Humane Society.
The girls were hoping to match last year’s record, when they raised about $200 for charity, helped by the generosity of their customers.
Despite heavy rain early in the morning, and Carrot Fest crowds that were a little smaller than last year, the lemonade stand saw a lot of visitors, and Emma and Mirabelle were kept busy all through the day.
“We had a lot of customers,” said Emma. “Some people didn’t buy lemonade but made a donation.”
By the end of the day, tallying up their quarters and loonies, they had raised $170 for charity.
