Business Matters January 2018 | Page 19

While the 6th annual Lemonade Day presented by the Coastal Bend Home Builder's Association will oc- cur throughout the Coastal Bend on Saturday, May 12, 2018, the impact of this event reaches far beyond one day. The foremost objective of the program is to help today's youth become the business leaders, social ad- vocates, community volunteers and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow. 7-year-old Ramone Smith is a prime example of Lem- onade Day's lasting and continuous impact. Ramone, recently recognized at the United Corpus Christi Cham- ber of Commerce Bizzy Awards with the Lemonade Day Youth Entrepreneurship Award, has participated in Lemonade Day Coastal Bend for the past four years. Through Lemonade Day and with the help of his Busi- ness-Mentor-Momma, Ramone has learned the value of a dollar and experienced first-hand the hard work that goes into making a profit. He has also learned the importance of giving to others. Most recently, Ramone used a portion of his stand profits to purchase 17 pairs of shoes for children at his school, Oak Park Elementa- ry. Ramone presented the shoes to his principal over the morning announcements on December 15, and the sense of accomplishment he felt was evident through- out the room. We can't wait to see what the future holds for this young entrepreneur, and all Lemonade Day Coastal Bend participants. Lemonade Day builds self-esteem and new mindsets that can propel youth to success they may not have pursued otherwise. It is a one-of-a-kind program, and a true game-changer for our community. For more information on Lemonade Day contact Yvette Lara, Executive Director of the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce Foundation, at 361 881 1800 or [email protected]. A nationwide impact survey was recently administered to past Lemonade Day partic- ipants. Results from the survey revealed the following... 72% plan to start their own business 64% hope to invent something that changes the world 80% know they can find more than one way to solve a problem UNITEDCORPUSCHRISTICHAMBER.COM 18