NORFOLK, Neb. -- Lemonade for a good cause. 

These children are a part of the annual Lemonade Camp that takes place every summer at Norfolk’s McMill CPAs and Advisors. This camp teaches children the fundamentals of business and the valuable lessons of entrepreneurship.

“This is a lemonade camp for incoming first through sixth graders,” event organizer Caylie Prauner said. “We put this on through McMill Retirement Plan Consultants and Wealth Management just to try and teach kids about entrepreneurship, setting up their own lemonade stand, and then also donating their money to a non-profit.”

With proceeds going to the Animal Shelter of Northeast Nebraska, you may wonder why the children would all work together to decide on this organization.

“What I think went into that decision was they’re remembering that they do have pets at home, " camp worker Carter Faltys said. “They decided in the back of their minds ‘oh, I've got this dog! Or, 'oh, I've got this cat!’ and they just saw it on the screen and they’re like, ‘I want to help that out’.

Not only are they a non-profit camp raising the money for a good cause, but it also teaches children the valuable life lessons of buying and selling.

“I think at an early age it is good to get those core values of figuring out what things cost, saving up money and having a goal and a plan to what you’re saving towards,” Faltys said. “Maybe it’s a cause or something you want to buy and it is important to have that at the back of your mind. Things cost money.” 

The camp includes various fun activities like creating their own sign, standing out on the street, and selling a delicious cold beverage for a hot day. 

“We have 68 kids at the camp this year, so the challenge is keeping them entertained,” Prauner said. “We have four pitchers of lemonade and 14 kids trying to make lemonade at the same time.”

“The challenge would be containing all the excitement with the kids, " Faltys said. “They’re full of energy, they are ready to sell, you know, it is an exciting time just to sell.”

Squeezing fun into your summer, it is never too late to teach children to give back to the community.