Chamber, Croghan starting youth entrepreneurship program

Tiffin is becoming the second Ohio community to host Lemonade Day, a hands-on entrepreneurship program for youth. The program is sponsored by a partnership between Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce and Croghan Colonial Bank. A chamber news release said Lemonade Day is a well-established global national youth entrepreneurship program that teaches leadership and business skills by encouraging children to launch a lemonade business in their community. Since 2007, Lemonade Day has immersed 1.5 million kids – and counting – in their entrepreneurial and experiential learning program in 94 licensed markets, representing 116 communities in the United States, Canada and Bermuda. Participants have collectively earned more than $352.5 million in sales, generating $270 million in profit and $142.5 million in donations. Lemonade Day is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching youth in kindergarten through eighth grade business, financial, character-building and life skills that are the key ingredients of entrepreneurship. "Lemonade Day has developed a playbook to unlock youth potential and talent through opportunity creation," said Nicole Cassier-Mason, chief executive officer of Lemonade Day National, in the release. "Our program is infused with life skills, business and financial literacy, character education, career exploration and mentorship. "This approach builds 21st-century skills, improves self-esteem, provides social-emotional learning and plants the seed of innovation to create new mindsets," she said. "These growth mindsets can propel youth into success and enable important life steps while preparing them to transition into what comes next in life." "Croghan Colonial Bank is proud to support and invest in the empowerment of our future community leaders through Lemonade Day," said Gwen Stallard, area manager with Croghan Colonial Bank. "The national program has had a strong track record of success and we can't wait to see the impact it has on the Tiffin community." Chaperoned by one or more adults who serve as youth mentors, young business owners set up their lemonade stands in schools, parks, neighborhoods, places of worship, retail centers, marketplaces and other public spaces. Kids who participate are taught how to set goals, develop a business plan and pitch their plan to seek an investment. They are taught to be creative through branding and marketing, and put their plan into action to achieve their dreams. They are encouraged to spend some of their hard-earned money on themselves, save some in a bank account and share some with a charity. Lemonade Day will conclude with the opportunity for participants to set up a lemonade stand on Aug. 5-6. Kids who are interested in signing up for the program can do so online at www.LemonadeDay.org/Tiffin. After they're signed up, children will have access to the Lemonade Day curriculum, which includes lessons on how to create budgets, profit-making goals, customer service, interactions with investors and giving back to their community. Children can access the curriculum through the interactive Lemonade app, which is highly encouraged, or they can pick up a physical workbook at the Chamber office, 96 S. Washington St., Suite B.