Alaska prepares for second ‘Lemonade Day’

Alaska’s youth and business owners across the state are preparing for the second annual Lemonade Day Alaska May 6. Register online at alaska.lemonadeday.org.

Lemonade Day Alaska started in Anchorage last year and has grown into a statewide initiative that provides students in kindergarten through 12th grade the opportunity to learn how to build and operate their own businesses.

In addition to financial literacy, youth also learn to set goals, develop a budget, attract investors, choose a business location and put everything together into a business plan.

After kids cover expenses and pay back their investors, they’re encouraged to open a savings account, spend a little, and donate a portion of their profits to their favorite local charities.

In 2011, Lemonade Day Alaska’s inaugural year, 1,100 youth earned more than $94,000 — $19,000 of which was donated to various charities — and 250 kids opened savings accounts. Event organizers hope to enroll 3,500 young entrepreneurs in more than a dozen communities across the state for this year’s event.

Since entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Holthouse established Lemonade Day in 2007 in Houston, Texas, in 2007, it has grown into a nationwide program that is offered in more than 30 cities across the U.S.

For more information or to register, visit alaska.lemonadeday.org.