Future Founders Foundation Announces Partnership with Lemonade Day
New program empowers 10,000 Chicagoland students to become tomorrow's entrepreneurs
CHICAGO, Feb. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Future Founders Foundation, a non-profit organization that inspires low-income youth in Chicago to explore new career opportunities, announces its newest partnership and program with Lemonade Day, a national movement that teaches youth to start, own and operate their own business through the real-world experience of opening a lemonade stand.
Lemonade Day was founded by entrepreneur Michael Holthouse's Houston-based non-profit Prepared 4 Life, and is a strategic 14-step process that walks students from a dream to a business plan, while teaching them the same principles required to start any big company. Inspiring youth to work hard and make a profit, they are also taught to spend some, save some and share some by giving back to their community.
Lemonade Day conducted a successful pilot program in Chicago in 2012, serving 4,200 students. This year, through a partnership with CME Group Foundation, the Future Founders Foundation will add Lemonade Day Chicago to its programs and scale its youth entrepreneurship program pipeline to reach an additional 10,000 elementary and middle school students in over 35 Chicago area schools.
"We are excited to expand our mission – to inspire youth to explore new careers with Lemonade Day. This program is a natural fit for the Foundation as it allows us to connect even more students with successful mentors and provide engaging project-based learning experiences," said Scott Issen, President & CEO, Future Founders Foundation. "Last year, we served 550 students in Chicago and now we are able to magnify our reach and provide a continuum of entrepreneurial education and exposure programs for 11,000 students in 3rd through 12th grades."
Students participating in Lemonade Day will learn the entrepreneurial skills necessary to be successful in the future and become the next generation of entrepreneurs. Students learn how to set goals, develop a business plan, secure start-up funds, create a unique marketable product, select safe locations, make a profit, and give back to the community. These aspiring entrepreneurs work with teachers, mentors, or parents through a guided curriculum that is linked to common core standards. The program culminates each spring with Lemonade Day, an event where students become entrepreneurs and launch their own lemonade stands across the city.
"Entrepreneurial education teaches kids life skills that they don't learn in a classroom -- the social and emotional skills that make them successful at life," said Brad Keywell, Chairman, Future Founders Foundation and Co-Founder, Lightbank. "An essential part of this education is providing students with an opportunity to see real life examples of success. Chicago is full of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial spirit and we need these role models to help empower our next great generation of entrepreneurs."
Lemonade Day has grown from 2,700 kids in 2007 to 150,000 kids in 36 cities across America and Canada in 2012. With the help of national partners like Google for Entrepreneurs, the goal is to reach 100 cities with 1 million registered youth by 2014.
"We are changing the trajectory of our country one lemonade stand at a time," stated Michael Holthouse, Founder, Lemonade Day. "Our Chicago partnership with the Future Founders Foundation is critical to ensuring that the program will reach its national goal of impacting 1 million youth with the life-changing experience of starting, owning and operating their very own business – a lemonade stand."
"Mentoring students and helping them to develop life skills is instrumental in preparing them for their future careers," said Howard Siegel, Chairman, CME Group Foundation. "Programs like Lemonade Day will help children apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace and create the foundation for future success in the global economy."
Lemonade Day Chicago will be held on Saturday, June 8, 2013. For more information, to get your school involved or to volunteer, please contact Nick Prestemon, City Director, Lemonade Day Chicago, at [email protected] or visit www.futurefounders.com.
About the Future Founders Foundation
The Future Founders Foundation inspires low-income youth in Chicago to explore new career opportunities. We offer programs to connect students with mentors from various professions and provide engaging project-based learning experiences for 3rd through 12th graders. From 2005-12, our programs served 6,000 students. During the 2012-13 school year, we are serving 11,000 students at 42 schools. Join us as we empower the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. Visit www.futurefounders.com.
Media Contact:
Nicole Minadeo
(312) 768-4744
[email protected]
SOURCE Future Founders Foundation
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