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Phil Fabian raised over $160 for the Catholic Multicultural Center at his lemonade stand at his Madison home. (Photo/Andrea Fabian) |
MADISON — When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So what if life gives you lemonade?
If you asked this question to Phil Fabian, he would probably respond that you can use it to help others. Phil is a 10-year-old lemonade stand entrepreneur whose goal is to have fun while helping out the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) in Madison.
Not a typical lemonade stand
One afternoon in August, Phil’s lemonade stand was open for business, catering to customers looking for a cool treat on a warm summer day. However, this wasn’t your typical lemonade stand.
“People tell me that my lemonade stand is different from other stands because everything I offer is free,” said Phil.
All passing by were welcome to take ice-cold lemonade and choose from an assortment of home-baked goods for free, no strings attached.
Instead of paying for a sweet treat, customers were invited to “pay it forward” and contribute to a free-will donation collection for the CMC.
Lots of visitors
Patrons stopped by the stand all afternoon, many of whom were Our Lady Queen of Peace School teachers and parish staff. A Facebook post by the CMC advertised the event.
Phil and his family were very happy with the turnout, though just running the lemonade stand was an enjoyable experience regardless of how many came.
At the end of the afternoon, Phil raised just over $160 to donate to the CMC. Now in its third year of business, this year’s lemonade stand operation has been the most successful so far.
Why help the CMC?
Why did Phil decide to make a lemonade stand to help the CMC? “Because my school [Queen of Peace] has a done a lot with the CMC, and I thought it would be good to try something on my own that would help the CMC, too,” he said.
The idea came a few years ago when his Aunt Amy was baby-sitting him, and they were thinking about a fun project they could do together without spending any money.
To build the stand, they gave life to items that would have been thrown away, using an old pallet, a countertop, and some paint. With a little help from his aunt and his parents, he filled the stand with baked goods and fresh lemonade, and thus Phil’s lemonade stand was born.
Phil likes doing the lemonade stands for the simple reason that “it’s a fun thing to do, and it keeps me busy.” A light-hearted approach, but his contribution is felt deeply by the CMC community.
Sometimes life gives us lemons, but when we have lemonade, Phil serves as a quiet reminder that we can always humbly share our gift with others.