Mike Wolanin | The Republic The Lemonade Bros. Jacob, left, and Jonathan Jones pose for a photo at their stand outside the Walmart on Merchant Mile in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, July 5, 2023. The Lemonade Bros. partnered with Walmart to help raise money for their fundraiser for Riley Hospital for Children.
A couple of young entrepreneurs are helping raise funds for a children’s hospital.
Tammy Wyrick, who works in human resources at the westside Walmart, said that the Lemonade Bros are helping with the store’s fundraiser for Riley Hospital for Children through Children Miracle Network Hospitals. The lemonade stand is donating 50% of its sales to the cause, according to a social media post from the Lemonade Bros.
The Lemonade Bros will be at the store, which is located at 2025 Merchant Mile, every other day from 2-6 p.m. from now until July 14, said Wyrick. Lemonade is $2 per cup. According to Corneshia Freeman, mother of the “bros”, the stand had raised nearly $750, as of Wednesday afternoon.
Additionally, the Lemonade Bros and their friends have also organized a “Cars for a Cause” car show, which will benefit the fundraiser for Riley and take place at the Walmart from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, said Wyrick. The entry fee is $10, and there will also be food and a silent auction.
The family said in a previous interview that their kids — including Jacob Jones, 6, and Johnathan “Junior” Jones, 8 — started the lemonade stand a way to earn money for things they wanted to buy, back when they still lived in Georgia.
“They actually enjoyed it,” Freeman said. “It was the whole ideal of becoming entrepreneurs, it was the whole ideal of making their own money. And they enjoyed making their own money. But when we got here, I wanted to switch it up a little bit. … I didn’t want them to think that it was all about just making money and just getting things.”
So, as a way to give back to the community, the Lemonade Bros use a portion of their profits to help different causes.
In June of 2022, when the stand was just getting started in Columbus, the kids set up shop outside of their home and used some of the proceeds to buy food and drinks for the Columbus Fire Department.
Since then, the Lemonade Bros have been invited to several different events, such as the Juneteenth celebration and the Mill Race Theatre Company’s upcoming production of “Seussical,” said Freeman.
“We grew with customers,” she said. “We grew with friends. We have so many different friends now. We came across so many different people, which I feel like is a blessing.”
When asked what he likes about running the stand, Jacob replied, “Helping the community.”
According to Freeman, this has included paying for 20 kids to see “The Little Mermaid” at YES Cinema, donating school supplies, creating care packs for those in need, and providing food for events at a local community center. She added that she’s looking into seeing if they can turn the Lemonade Bros into an official nonprofit.
Freeman emphasized that she’s very grateful for the support people have shown her sons’ business.
She said, “The more support they get from the community—”
“The more we can help people,” finished Johnathan.
