Lemonade Aids Lesson Plans

It wasn't that long ago when a few dollars earned selling Mom and Dad's instant lemonade was enough to make a gradeschooler grin. But for a group of enterprising kids in Ballwin, $300 is a better target—and one that'll aid fellow gradeschoolers who live much farther than their neighbor's yard.

As part of an initiative under BrightFuturesJoplin.org, a grassroots group aimed at assisting the Joplin community, kids ranging in age from preschool to sixth grade sold lemonade and homemade crafts to help raise money for Joplin schools. On Sunday, May 22, at least one tornado devastated the city of about 50,000 people, resulting in and the deaths of more than 150 people.

Wednesday afternoon at the corner of Twigwood and Rustic Valley drives, kids from local schools such as Holy Infant School in Ballwin and the Assumption School in O’Fallon, MO worked together to raise money for their Joplin counterparts.

At their first lemonade fundraiser earlier this month, the group raised more than $300 in just two hours.

“It was amazing, the generosity of the kids,” said Jennifer Knapp of Ellisville, who supervised her children at the event. “The number of teenagers that stopped by and gave money was awesome.”

In addition to parenting, Knapp works part time as a nurse at the Washington University Siteman Cancer Center.

“But I have four kids, and the two older ones who are going into fourth and second grade, they’ve just been seeing pictures and saying, ‘We want to do something.’”

That was enough to inspire Knapp to connect with BrightFuturesJoplin.org, which resulted in the sponsorship of a first-grade class and second-grade class. One of the supported classes is at Joplin’s Cecil Floyd Elementary School, which officials said suffered significant damage, while the other was at Irving Elementary School, which along with Joplin High, was one of three schools claimed as a total loss.

To help raise money, Knapp, along with Lisa Briz of O’Fallon organized a second lemonade stand fundraiser Wednesday as well as a fundraiser next week planned for McAlister's Deli in Ballwin.

“We just wanted to do something they can relate to, because these guys have to go to school (too),” Knapp said, citing varying levels of destruction in Joplin, including some schools that were destroyed completely. “I mean they have to start from scratch.”

Grace Doherty, who is going into sixth grade this fall at Holy Infant School, sold eight headbands at their first lemonade fundraiser for $2 each, with half of her proceeds going toward the Joplin schools fund.

“I have a sewing machine for my birthday, and I kind of created them myself. I didn’t have a pattern or anything,” Grace said.

The fundraiser at is scheduled from 4 p.m. to at least 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20. Customers who say they're supporting Joplin schools will have half of their bill's proceeds go toward Joplin school recovery efforts.