When life hands you lemons, make lemonade – but don’t forget to check local ordinances before selling it.
That’s the lesson two little girls from Mesquite, Texas, learned after setting up shop earlier this year. Thankfully, a recent change in the law meant 7-year-olds Mallorie and Brookelynn Iwu could continue their small, charitable business.
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Born just four months apart, Mallorie and Brookelynn are more like sisters than cousins. They were raised together in the Dallas suburbs and enjoy an exceptionally close bond.
Over the summer, the two decided they wanted to sell lemonade to give back to homeless members of their community. Unfortunately, the original Texas law meant they could only set up their brightly-painted stand at family events and private parties.
Mallorie’s mother, Marshay Iwu, is an attorney in Dallas and has been a champion for the law change. “Why would you restrict kids from doing something, especially when they are trying to give back to the homeless?” she asked.
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Their efforts didn’t take long to pay off. As soon as the law changed, the determined girls expanded their reach to the general public.
They quickly found a new spot and got to work. With help from their mothers, they also started a nonprofit called Mother Daughter Brown Bags of Hope. They’ve already earned almost $2,000 to benefit the homeless!
Marshay was extremely excited about the girls’ ability to run their stand. She said the task is encouraging the young cousins to think outside their own small worlds and consider the needs of others. “It also teaches them kindness and how to give back,” she added. “Not just to cover for themselves, but to show them how we have to help our community because we’re all in this together.”
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These girls are off to a wonderful start! Just remembering to think of others is impressive for kids their age, so the fact that they’re willing to work this hard to help strangers is inspirational. We wish Mallorie and Brookelynn the very best in their lemonade adventures!
Learn more about how they got started in the video below, and don’t forget to share.
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