WCC is supporting Lemonade Day – a nationwide education initiative that teaches youth how to start, own and operate a business. To help participants get started, WCC will be hosting a Kidz Biz Workshop in the Morris Lawrence building on Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is free and open to the community.
Open to children from kindergarten to 12th grade, the workshop will provide fun and interactive activities designed to teach participants how to write and organize a business plan, build a lemonade stand, and market their business.
WCC’s participation in Lemonade Day is an outgrowth of a strategic initiative to support and nurture entrepreneurship in our community. Lemonade Day is held across the country in May and June – when thousands of children and teenagers will run their own lemonade stands. WCC is partnering with Detroit Lemonade Day which will be held on June 7.
“It’s important to understand the skills and knowledge that are needed to start a business,” said business instructor Dr. Kimberly Hurns. “I can’t think of a better time to teach those skills than to children and young adults, which is why I’m so passionate about the Kidz Biz Workshop and Lemonade Day.”
Each participant will receive a workbook which outlines, the elements needed to build a successful business. Lemonade Day promotes financial literacy – by requiring participants to distribute profits through saving, spending and donating to a charity.
Launched in Houston, Texas in 2007, Lemonade Day now involves 160,000 kids in 36 cities
across America and Canada. Huntington Bank brought Lemonade Day to Michigan in 2011
and continues to be the presenting sponsor.
Hurns is in the midst of establishing the college’s Center For Entrepreneurship – which will be a resource for WCC students, alumni and community members interested in starting and growing a business.
Hurns has been working with Michelle Mueller, associate vice president of Economic and Community Development, to partner with local business leaders, local professionals and faculty who will work with the Center to develop programs as well as provide coaching and a collaborative co-working space for entrepreneurs. The WCC Center for Entrepreneurship is slated to open in Fall 2014.
Plan on bringing family and friends alike to the Kidz Biz Workshop on May 3 and help spread the word about entrepreneurship at Washtenaw Community College.