How The Lemonade Circle Made an Impact Through Give 8/28
When The Lemonade Circle participated in Give 8/28 for the first time, we saw an opportunity to do more than raise money. We saw an opportunity to bring our community together around a shared belief: when we invest in young people, we help create opportunities that can impact their futures.
Give 8/28 is a national initiative created by the Young Black & Giving Back Institute to highlight and support Black-led and Black-serving organizations working to create meaningful change in their communities. For The Lemonade Circle, participating in this initiative was a natural extension of our mission to lead change, empower voices, and transform lives.
Our first Give 8/28 campaign brought together Lemonade Circle members, families, community partners, supporters, and donors throughout August. Through their generosity, we raised enough funds to provide the equivalent of 43 annual memberships for future Lemonade Circle members.
But the impact of Give 8/28 went beyond the funds raised.
The campaign gave us an opportunity to introduce more people to the work of The Lemonade Circle and show what can happen when a community chooses to invest in its youth. Every donation represented more than financial support. It represented a belief in the young people we serve and a commitment to helping them access experiences, resources, mentorship, and opportunities that can help them grow.
We also had the opportunity to celebrate the campaign with members of our community at Stone Manor Luxury Event Space. The gathering gave supporters a chance to connect, enjoy great food, and celebrate the collective impact of everyone who contributed to making the campaign possible.
We are incredibly grateful to H. E. Butt Foundation for contributing funds to support this effort and investing in the work being done through The Lemonade Circle. We are also grateful to Brittanie Lee for welcoming us to Stone Manor Luxury Event Space, Lynique Charles for sharing her time and support, and the owners of Sweet Yams for providing food for our celebration.
Most importantly, we are grateful to every donor, family, community member, and supporter who helped make our first Give 8/28 campaign a success. The success of this campaign reminded us of something we already know: change does not happen alone. It happens when people come together, share resources, open doors, and create opportunities for the next generation.
Through Give 8/28, our community helped create the equivalent of 43 annual memberships for future Lemonade Circle members. That means 43 more young people can potentially have access to a community designed to support their growth, leadership, confidence, and future.
This is what it means to make lemonade.
We are proud to have participated in Give 8/28 and even more excited about what comes next. As we continue growing, we remain committed to creating opportunities that pour into our members and building a community where young people are empowered to see their potential and use their voices to create change.
