For the sixth year, Ivey HBA1 students ended their school year by giving back to the London community and doing something great.
Split into 80 teams, more than 600 HBA students spread out across London to sell as much lemonade as possible. They were given $50 in seed money, a cardboard lemonade stand, a pitcher, some crayons, a wooden spoon, and 24 hours.
The annual year-end lemonade sale, called Hunter Straker and Ivey Give LemonAid, raised $38,964 for the United Way this year, putting the event’s six-year total at $373,005.
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To keep things interesting, each group had a twist. Some groups were limited geographically to where they could sell, while others had to sing instead of speak or find a team mascot to assist their sales.
The funds raised went to United Way Matched Education Savings Program, an organization that helps create the option of post-secondary education for youth in London. Kelly Ziegner, Director of Community Engagement at United Way, spoke to Ivey students at the event’s kick off on Wednesday about how access to post-secondary education is one of the best ways to help families move from poverty to possibility.
Matthew Diamond, HBA ’96 and Senior Vice President at Hunter Straker Canada, also spoke at the event, encouraging the students to be creative with their selling and to have fun. As the final event before the students’ summer break, LemonAid was their chance to do good for the community, he said.
“Live your life to the fullest, make every day count, and make your life remarkable,” said Diamond.
This was the sixth and final year for Hunter Straker and Ivey Give LemonAid. A big thank you goes out to the following:
- Hunter Straker for making the event possible
- The current and past HBA1 classes who dedicated their efforts to this worthwhile community need
- Professor Daren Meister who worked with Matthew to invent the very first LemonAid event in 2011
- All faculty, staff, and participants who helped out over the years
