Young Philanthropists

 One of my favorite seasonal pop-ups is the summer lemonade stand. Just the other day, voices cheering their wares drew me to a street corner where three kids sat behind a table with a pitcher, cups, and an accompanying wagon of bottled lemonade.  It's an almost impossible treat to refuse on a hot summer's day, especially at twenty-five cents a cup (fifty cents for a large cup-the going price at this particular stand).

Perhaps just as refreshing as the sweetly-sour thirst quencher, is taking part in the youthful entrepreneurial spirit of the lemonade stand. As I drank, I admired this particular stand's selling points; a quality product-home grown lemons (I could see the tree) and an ostensibly handmade beverage, prime real estate-a corner near a roundabout where cars naturally slow down, even an eco-friendly element-brightly colored, reusable cups. Only upon draining my cup did I notice a marketing strategy setting the stand apart from any other I've yet to encounter. A sign pushed off to the side declared, "All funds go to the Rainforest". Prompted by my further inquiry, one of the two girls gleefully shared that they were already $20.25 toward buying an acre of Colombian rainforest. "To protect it from destruction," the boy chimed in.

  I immediately wanted to do more, give a few suggestions: raise your price point by even just a quarter, make your sign more visible! This young boy and whom I assumed were his two sisters weren't just entrepreneurs, they were young philanthropists. I wanted to help them succeed. I said nothing, but bought another cup.

The encounter got me wondering why classes on business aren't offered earlier in school. If "Living Skills" -sex and drug education- is mandatory in high school, wouldn't a few lessons on building good credit and careful accounting be helpful too? Surely, managing one's personal and professional finances is a skill for living, and when skillfully done, living well. Additionally, basic business concepts could better prepare students for what to expect if joining any company spanning the spectrum from foreign textiles to biotech. And for the young (some very elementary-school-lemonade-stand young) entrepreneurs and philanthropists alike who endeavor to make money for themselves, a social or an environmental cause, a business school course could prevent potentially costly mistakes and time loss.

Still, whether through schooling or trail and error, it seems that those who really want to find a way, will. After all, with an acre of Colombian rainforest costing as little as fifty dollars these three siblings were almost half-way toward their goal. LemonAid, indeed.