Lemonade Stand Leads to Park Donation

No childhood is complete without operating a lemonade stand. That’s what Libby Engebretson said her nine-year-old daughter Maya thought. Trouble is, the Luther family lives on a dirt road that doesn’t get much traffic. Any business owner knows sales are slow without any traffic. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Before long, a prime spot was offered to the young entrepreneur. The Luther Insurance Agency made their shady spot available in the heart of Luther on Ash Street.

Maya’s Lemonade Stand opened for business on Friday in her prime retail spot that had excellent signage, outstanding customer service, and a cash register. Before they opened, Maya and her cousin, Kendall, squeezed lemons and made simple syrup for their signature lemonade. And they made lots of baked goods – some of the goodies featured on Maya’s new YouTube channel, BakingwithMaya.

Sales were brisk with lots of satisfied customers giving rave reviews. Some said it was the best lemonade they’ve ever tasted!

Sales were so good, Maya made $200.

But this story has a twist. Maya and Kendall immediately gave away half of their profits. The girls came to Luther Town Hall to deliver their funds after closing up shop. They brought a large wad of bills adding up to $100. The cash is in safe keeping for the nonprofit group to deposit for the needed modernization of Luther’s Wildhorse Park.

When asked why she was donating the money, Maya didn’t skip a beat and said her mom made her do it! Maybe it was just a strong suggestion, but Maya was game for it.

“I think Maya really started to get a sense of pride for giving. We told her when that park is built, it will last for decades and she can look at it and think, ‘I had a hand in that.’ I hope that she finds other fun projects to be part of so she can continue to give back to our amazing community,” said Libby.

Click here to find out more about Luther Friends of the Park and park renovations.

Maya is a soon-to-be fourth-grader at Luther Elementary. She is big sister to Max. Libby and Ben Engebretson are their parents.

Fields Youngblood Water Well Drilling