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Local siblings celebrate Lemonade Day, giving profits to a good cause

Posted at 6:16 PM, May 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-18 21:16:35-04

Saturday in Bakersfield it is Lemonade Day, it's an idea based on a classic lemonade stand but with a unique twist. And three siblings are hoping to make a difference in their community one glass at a time.

Lemonade Day is celebrated around the country at different times of the year and Saturday Bakersfield will be celebrating. 55 stands will be set up around town and every stand will be donating their money to a different cause. The goal is to create young entrepreneurs one cup of lemonade at a time. And three local siblings are doing just that.

11-year-old James and five year old twins Josiah and Jeremiah are just like any normal set of siblings. They play together, and now they are working together. “We came up with 4 j's, the first one is Jesus and then Josiah, me and Jeremiah," said James Daniels, the oldest sibling selling lemonade.

11 years ago a project titled Lemonade Day launched around the country encouraging students to set up lemonade stands around their hometowns and not keep all the profits for themselves but give money to a need in their community. "I decided to help in guiding the children and young entrepreneurs into selling lemonade for lunches," said Ceresa Robinson, the siblings’ mother.

The average cost for an elementary student in Bakersfield to eat at school is $4.50 a day that includes breakfast and lunch. And if a student can't pay they still get fed but a debt racks up against the student and they have to pay it by the end of the year. James, Josiah and Jeremiah decided they wanted to help get rid of those bills. “I wanted them to have lunch and be happy," said Daniels.

With the end of the year fast approaching -- students have to pay off their lunch debt by the first week in June. Which Robinson said is hard to do for some families. "I received a letter home from my boys' school that stated that report cards wouldn't be able to go home if lunch debt wasn't paid," said Robinson.

After receiving that letter Robinson says she wanted to use this lemonade stand as a teachable moment for her boys more than ever. "We actually intentionally try to help one another daily and this helped me to understand a way that I can teach them," said Robinson. And the boys were more than excited to help their friends and classmates that may be struggling. So "4 J's" along with their mom Ceresa Robinson are setting up a stand for lemonade day at the Brimhall Farmer’s Market on Saturday.

While the boys will keep a small portion of their profits Robinson says that she's hoping the boys take a couple of lessons away from this experience like hard work, the value of money and helping others in their community. Robinson also says that she plans to do this with the boys every year. If you want to support their cause the "4 J's" stand will open starting at 9:30 Saturday morning and they will be selling until 1:30 p.m. To find the map of all the Bakersfield lemonade stands that will be set up Saturday click here.