A year ago she saw a picture of two boys held as slave laborers in Nepal. The thought that children her age were slaves who had to work for nothing really touched her and she wanted to do something about it. So she did what any eight year old would have done. She started a lemonade stand. Only that stand made $700 the first day. She ran it for 52 days straight. She went to sell lemonade in Time Square in New York and by the end of the year she had raised a million dollars. YES. ONE MILLION.
But that was just the beginning of her company called MAKE A STAND. Now major grocery chains like Whole Foods are carrying her lemonade. Google has just ordered it for their headquarters. Kraft tried to buy her company.( But she said no. She wants it to stay small and focused). Her lemonade is made from her grandmother's recipe from all organic and fair trade ingredients. Children are going to school in Guatamala because she buys their parents sugar cane. Her dad gave up his job in a leap of faith to devote himself full time to her cause. The week after he quit working they got the order from Google.
I'm the sort of person who always chats with people I meet. And look what fabulous stories I find!
What a special young lady . . . thank you for sharing her heartwarming story. We can learn so much from our children . . . .
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ReplyDeleteWonderful story. I love that you talked with Vivienne. I've seen her on TV and read about her lemonade stand. She's wonderful and fortunate to have such support in her family.
ReplyDeletethat is an astonishing story Rhys--can't believe you met Vivienne in the hot tub--thanks for bringing her over. Hurray for her!
ReplyDeleteVivienne deserves a lot of credit, but so do her parents. She could not have accomplished most of it without their support and encouragement.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what kids can do if we let them!
Thanks for sharing this girl's story, Rhys.
What an amazing story - go Vivienne!
ReplyDeleteAnd Lucy's right about the parents - like the song says "You've Got to Be Taught."
ooops, Karen. But Lucy's so often right about things...
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this!
ReplyDeleteKudos to Vivienne and her pure & compassionate heart... & a high five to her encouraging father as well.
ReplyDeleteHer parents sure did something right! They are obviously very caring people and provide a wonderful learning ground for their family. I still marvel, after rereading this post a couple of times, that her dad gave up his job to support her fundraising efforts.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I've never been to my local Whole Foods store I suddenly have a yearning for lemonade.
What a wonderful and touching story. Makes you feel optimistic about the future of our world when you see the kindness of this little girl, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteWonderful story! I will purchase some of her lemonade if our Whole Foods carries it.
ReplyDeleteFrom my daughter, Valerie Francescato: Lisa Kristine is the photographer who took the photo that inspired Vivienne. She has done an entire project on modern day slavery, including a book with a foreword by Desmond Tutu, and several TED talks. I'm honored to have been her friend for over 13 years now. She is a wonderful, generous person, and it's not a surprise that she is inspiring people like Vivienne. Here's a link to her website: http://www.lisakristine.com/
ReplyDeleteHello Rhys: It was such a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for this positively lovely post. I am also very touched by the comments of your readers. This is a beautiful and heart-centered community. We are better off knowing all of you. Thank you for making a stand with us. With our best regards and lots of love,
ReplyDeleteEric, Vivienne, Alexandra (& Turner, too!)