Second grader Joanie Jackson is going to be busy on Sunday afternoon running her own Lemonade Stand for Lemonade Day 2010. As a young entrepreneur, Joanie says the thing she is looking forward to the most is selling her lemonade and meeting all of the people who visit her stand.

“I’ve been very busy lately getting ready for Lemonade Day. We make homemade lemonade and put our very special ingredients into it to make our own secret recipe. It’s a lot of fun,” Joanie said. “I’m excited to set up the stand and sell my lemonade!”

Joanie’s family has participated in Lemonade Day since it began three years ago. Originating in Houston and now featured in 13 cities, the event teaches kids the skills they need to be successful in the future. They learn to set goals, develop a business plan, establish a budget, seek investors, provide customer service, and give back to the community. It’s open to kids in Kindergarten through eighth grade.

“When our family began participating, Joanie didn’t have a bank account or any funds that were just her own. Now, she has her own bank account where she is learning how to save money,” Clare Jackson, Lemonade Day Board Member and Volunteer, and Joanie’s mom, said. “It’s wonderful that we are instilling financial responsibility in our daughter at such a young age.”

Founder of Lemonade Day Michael Holthouse asks that at the end of Lemonade Day, the kids do three things with the money they have made – spend a little, save a little and share a little. In 2009, there were 27,000 lemonade stands in Houston. The kids sold over 2 million cups of lemonade at an average of $1.14 per glass, and gave back $50,000 to the Houston community!

Organizations in Houston are already getting involved in this great cause. If you have a sweet tooth, visit Crave Cupcakes in Uptown Park this week and purchase a cupcake. One dollar of every cupcake purchased goes towards supporting Lemonade Day!

It’s not too late to sign up to participate in Lemonade Day! Simply visit www.lemonadeday.org to register. After signing up, kids will need to pick up a special backpack, complete with Entrepreneur Workbooks that will easily explain budgets, securing investors, choosing locations, marketing, and customer service. These materials, including the Caring Adult Guide, are found in the backpack and available to download after registering online.