KIDS SQUEEZE “AID” OUT OF LEMONS AS TAKE A STAND® PROGRAM LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE
Sunkist Take a Stand Campaign Returns for Its Fifth Year to Give Away
20,000 Free Lemonade Stands to Kids Raising Money for Charity
SHERMAN OAKS – MAY 13, 2008 – The Sunkist Take a Stand® campaign is back for a fifth year and bigger than ever. This year Sunkist Growers continues to support youth philanthropy with the distribution of 20,000 free lemonade stands to kids across Canada and the United States who pledge to raise money for a charity of their choice. The award-winning cause-marketing program encourages young people across the country to give back to their community by donating their earnings from a good old-fashioned lemonade sale.
Over the past four years Sunkist has shipped out more than 30,000 free lemonade stands to help kids with their charitable efforts. Since its inception, Take a Stand has raised an estimated $2.8 million for charity by kids in every province in Canada and every state in the U.S., one glass of fresh-squeezed Sunkist lemonade at a time. To receive a complimentary stand, children must be 7-12 years of age and pledge their commitment to a charity online at: www.sunkist.com/takeastand.
According to research and nonprofit organizations such as the Council on Foundations, today's youth are more involved in philanthropy than ever before. As young kids increasingly become aware of social issues around the world through the Internet and television, programs like Sunkist Take a Stand offer a unique and fun way for parents to instill in their children the value of giving.
“Take a Stand provides children with a voice and role in the community,” said Claire Smith, Director of Corporate Communications for Sunkist Growers. “It enables kids to take action on issues that are important to them, while building their leadership skills and nourishing community involvement so they become better citizens.”
Sunkist receives many inquiries about the program from families who are eager to Take a Stand and donate their time and money to charities such as Special Olympics, Make a Wish Foundation, Sick Kids Foundation and Canadian Cancer Society. Last year, the Sunkist gave away free lemonade stands to children who wanted to give back to their communities. Some of the most personal and emotional stories from last year include:
- 10 year old Jonathan and his 8 year old sister Alicia Cobb set up their lemonade stand at a Canadian Tire in Calgary to support the Calgary Humane Society. After a trip with his cub pack and seeing how much the animals needed food, medicine and toys, Jonathan, with the help of Alicia, pledged to make a difference.
- Josie (12), Kiah (11) and Livia (8) Mortison set up their lemonade stand at the Metropolis, Metrotown, to support Make-a-Wish Foundation. The siblings pledged to work hard to raise money and raised $438 as a result.
- 12 year old Anahita Katila and 8 year old Daniel Diniz pledged to take a stand in support of the Sick Kids Foundation. Being children themselves, they realized how important it was to help other children who need it. Anahita and Daniel set up their lemonade stand at Michael-Angelo’s in Mississauga and raised $400.14
Take a Stand Day 2008
Sunkist is once again encouraging kids to kick off lemonade stand season on Saturday, June 21st, which marks the first day of summer as well as the official Take a Stand Day. The Sunkist web site offers recipes, advertising signs, sheets for tracking sales and calculating profit, safety tips and advice on running a successful stand to help kids prepare and promote their lemonade sale on Take a Stand Day.
“A lemonade sale is a classic tradition that lends itself easily to a family affair and provides a wonderful opportunity for the entire family to bond while learning about the joys of giving,” said Grammy® Award winning country artist Billy Dean, who continues to serve as the Take a Stand spokesperson. “Every year there are more and more children getting involved in Take a Stand, and it’s a great indicator of children learning community service and supporting people who they love who are in need of help.”
As the summer progresses, kids are encouraged to return to the web site and send in success stories and pictures showcasing their creativity with their lemonade stand. Selected stories will be highlighted on the Sunkist site at the conclusion of the program.
About Sunkist
As one of the world's oldest and largest citrus marketing cooperatives, Sunkist Growers is owned by thousands of citrus growers in California and Arizona, most of whom are family farmers. This year the cooperative is celebrating the first 100 years of the famous Sunkist brand. For more information about Sunkist, visit www.sunkist.com. Sunkist is a registered trademark of ©2008 Sunkist Growers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Media Contact:
Sara O’Reilly/Diane Sidik
Manning Selvage & Lee
416.847.1334/416-847-1316
sara.o’reilly@mslpr.ca/diane.sidik@mslpr.ca