When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade:
A How-To Guide to the Big Sunday Lemonade Stand Project

Welcome to The 3rd Annual When Life Gives You Lemons Make Lemonade Stand Project. Each year, volunteer hosts — many of them children — set up lemonade stands across Southern California during Big Sunday weekend and sell lemonade to benefit five local children’s charities. The Big Sunday lemonade stands are set up at the end of driveways, in schools, in parks, at farmer’s markets, in malls and at other locations far and wide. Last year, 700 volunteers worked at 78 lemonade stands throughout Southern California and raised nearly $9,000.

This year, on May 2 and 3, Big Sunday lemonade stands will raise money for the Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign, which offers scholarships to low-income children; Para Los Ninos, which provides educational and direct services to low-income families; Shane’s Inspiration, which builds accessible playgrounds for children with disabilities; Mothers Against Drunk Driving – Orange County Chapter, which supports programs to stop drunk driving and prevent underage drinking; and the Young Storytellers Foundation, a writing program that helps low-income schoolchildren develop literacy, self-expression and self-esteem. Each lemonade stand chooses one of the five charities to support.

If you’d like to host a Big Sunday lemonade stand, follow these easy steps:

1. Register with us to host a Big Sunday lemonade stand. Click here for the Host Registration Form, fill it out online and click the “submit” button at the end. You will be officially signed up to host a lemonade stand. If you don’t have a location in mind yet, fill out the form anyway. When you figure it out, email our Lemonade Stand Coordinator, Melissa Toy Ozeas, at Melissa@bigsunday.org and let her know. The deadline to turn in your form is April 23.

2. Choose a date, time and location for your lemonade stand. You may host a lemonade stand at any time during Big Sunday weekend — Saturday, May 2, or Sunday, May 3. You choose the location and time that works best for you. All we ask is that you keep your stand open for a minimum of two hours. And we recommend high-foot-traffic locations — the more people, the more customers! If your location is a public place, like a park, farmer’s market or in front of a grocery store, make sure you ask permission to set up the lemonade stand. Click here for an official Big Sunday letter asking for permission to set up a lemonade stand.

3. Find volunteers to work at your lemonade stand. Your family, friends, co-workers, scout troops, neighbors and members of your religious organization all make great lemonade-stand volunteers — and children especially love this project.

4. Make your own very cool lemonade stand. This is the fun part! Your lemonade stand can be as simple as a small card table decorated with Big Sunday signs, flowers and balloons, or as elaborate as an old-fashioned wooden stand made by hand. Have fun and be creative.

5. Make sure you have signs to publicize your lemonade stand. You’ll want some signs to advertise your lemonade stand and let people know that you’re raising money for a specific charity. Click here to find and print the Big Sunday lemonade stand sign with our logo. And then click here for a sign you can customize to let your customers know which charity you’re supporting. Then just for fun, ask some kids to help you make homemade signs, too.

6. Spread the word about your Big Sunday lemonade stand. You can email your family and friends and invite them to your lemonade stand. Or make flyers letting everyone know where and when you’ll be selling lemonade and for which charity you’ll be raising money. Then pass the flyers out at your kid’s school, your office and/or your house of worship.

7. Make sure you have waiver forms at your lemonade stand. All Big Sunday volunteers must sign a wavier. Waivers will be available for printing from this site at a later date.

Frequently asked questions about hosting a Big Sunday Lemonade Stand

• Where do I get supplies for my lemonade stand? Everyone gets a lemonade-stand kit, which comes with two-liter sealed bottles of lemonade (you’ll tell us the estimated number of customers you’re expecting when you fill out the registration form, and we’ll give you the appropriate amount of lemonade), paper cups, a donation can, Big Sunday T-shirts for your volunteers, a large Big Sunday lemonade stand sign, an acrylic sign holder, brochures from your chosen charity and an instruction manual.
• Where do I pick up my Lemonade-Stand Kit? You can pick up your lemonade-stand kit at one of two locations; you’ll let us know your preference when you fill out the registration form. Pick-up will be at the Universal Studios backlot in Burbank on Sunday, April 26 or at Melissa’s House in La Crescenta on Tuesday, April 28. (We’ll email you the time and proper address one week before your pick-up date.)
• How much do I charge for a cup of lemonade? Each cup of lemonade sells for 50 cents. However, we welcome donations to your designated charity!  If your customers want to make a donation, they can write a check directly to the charity.  Please put all checks in a separate envelope with your name and stand number written on the front.  We’ll make sure the money gets to them.
• Can I put ice in my lemonade? No. The health department does not allow us to put ice in the lemonade. We suggest you cool your lemonade in the refrigerator the night before and store it in an ice chest at your lemonade stand.
• What if I run out of lemonade? You can go to the store and buy more lemonade, but the bottles must be sealed. We are not allowed to mix our own lemonade. We recommend two-liter bottles of Minute Maid or Tropicana lemonade, which can be found at most grocery stores. One, two-liter bottle pours roughly 10 cups of lemonade.
• How do I turn in the money I’ve collected at my lemonade stand? All of your lemonade stand money must be turned into the Big Sunday office by 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 5. The office will be open for returns from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday during Big Sunday weekend, and on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (The office will be closed Monday, May 4.) In addition, you may bring your money to the following places: the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station Big Sunday Hub from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 3; Melissa’s house in La Crescenta from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, May 4; and the MADD Orange County Office in Tustin from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, May 4. Complete addresses will be emailed to you a week before Big Sunday.
• What else do I need to return to Big Sunday besides all the money I’ve raised? Please return your waivers and your donation cans, large sign and acrylic sign holder. That way we can reuse them each year.
• What if I have more questions? Email Melissa at Melissa@bigsunday.org. She’ll be happy to answer your questions.