Two five year-olds hope to save nature, one glass of lemonade at a time.
On a warm spring day in Oregon, young friends Henry Welt and Nadia Schwartz, both 5 years-old, set up a lemonade stand. Charging 25 cents for each big red cup, they decided to donate proceeds to The Nature Conservancy. Within a couple hours, they had $17.25 in a jar. Nadia was in charge of taking the money.
It was a warm day, remember. And when Henry filled the first cool cup for a customer he couldn’t help taking a nice big gulp from the glass before handing it over for a quarter. (He’s since learned to have his own glass.)
During lemonade lulls the two took to running up and down the street ringing a bell. And they even drew a sidewalk chalk lemonade trail to woo potential thirsty passers-by.
Henry always tells his mother that “we need more nature” sodonating proceeds to the Conservancy seemed like a natural fit for the young entrepreneurs, she said. Following the fundraising effort, his mother, Kecia Welt, took Henry to the Conservancy’s Cascade Head Preserve on the Oregon coast. He declared it the most beautiful place he’d ever seen.
“I explained that the land is owned and protected by The Nature Conservancy and the money he and Nadia raised with their lemonade stand will help protect that and other land all around the world. Even though, they are only five, I think they are capable of understanding the value and purpose of the Conservancy,” Kecia said.
To a round of applause in a crowded conference room, the two suddenly-shy kids presented their jar of earnings to the Oregon Conservancy at a recent staff meeting. They then filled out membership forms in careful, crooked handwriting before skipping outside.
More lemonade stands may be planned throughout the summer, too, they said.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewelts/
Last year we spent three nights in Manzanita with our good friends... three families, six adults and five children. We had the best time. We decided to kick off spring break by getting together again. The weather could have been warmer (and sunnier), but the camaraderie was better than ever.
What would we do without friends? On Monday, Kelly and Trevor came over for dinner. Kelly picked up Thai food and I made the boys corn dogs and mac & cheese. On Tuesday, the Murray Family had us over for a yummy dinner -- Sheperd's Pie. This morning, Henry had a jam-packed playdate with Nadia that included a trip to Saint Cupcake and the climbing gym! This afternoon Henry received a fabulous care-package from his dad that included Magic Treehouse books, a Curious George DVD and a new pirate game! Tonight we stayed home for "hair washing night" and an early bedtime - 7 PM. We finished reading Maybelle in the Soup.
Thank God for our babysitter Meghan! Meghan and Henry enjoyed a fun morning at OMSI where they finally got to tour the USS Blueback, the U.S. Navy's last non-nuclear, fast-attack submarine. They have been trying to go for weeks, but it is usually sold out. I had a lovely walk to Sellwood to meet my friend Rachel for breakfast at Grand Central Bakery. After breakfast, Rachel and I took another 3+ mile walk. I returned home around 1 PM and headed out to run grocery errands while Meghan and Henry hung out at home.
