Two Saskatoon sixth graders spent their Saturday fundraising for the children’s hospital thanks to a unique fundraising tool.
“We’re doing a lemonade stand to raise money for the children’s hospital…to just help children get better,” 11-year-old Nickiya Froese said.
Robin Bellamy and his wife have been lending out all of their supplies for mobile barbecue fundraisers, free of charge, for the past 12 years, and they recently added a lemonade stand to their collection.
“We always stop and give them some money, because it’s a great thing to see kids do,” Bellamy said. “So we came up with the idea that, why don’t we get a lemonade stand built this year and lend it out to the community?”
Froese and her friend, Harper Klassen, are the first to utilize the lemonade stand for their fundraiser.
Bellamy said it’s rewarding to get a younger generation involved in the project.
“They can make some money for their charity of choice, make a little bit of money for themselves, and learn a little bit about business and entrepreneurship,” Bellamy said.
This particular cause was chosen because of Froese’s personal connection with the facility.
“My cousin was in the children’s hospital for a couple of weeks,” Froese said.
Klassen said it’s an important cause to support.
“It’s a good cause, mostly because we need more stuff in children’s hospitals, and some kids need more care than others,” Klassen said.
Bellamy said the barbecues go out around 150 times a year to help with various local fundraisers, and he’s hopeful the lemonade stand will see as much use.
“We don’t ask for anything. They get the barbecue, the tables, and everything for no cost. Just a ‘thank you’ is huge. It’s a great feeling, as people know that anytime you volunteer, it’s fantastic,” Bellamy said.
Froese agreed that the idea of a lemonade stand fundraiser is a great way to support an important cause.
“Everybody likes lemonade,” Froese said.
The two girls said they don’t have a particular fundraising goal for the day; they just plan to do their best.
“We just want to raise as much money as we can,” Klassen said.
