Boys’ lemonade stand helps teachers
Staff writer
Dawson and Easton Jones repeatedly asked their mother if they could sell lemonade from their own stand this summer.
The brothers, ages 7 and 5, saw the fun a neighbor boy had with his stand, and they wanted to put up one, too.
Their mother, Chelsi Jones, agreed, but asked the boys what they planned to do with their profits.
The Jones family had talked about how good it felt to give, Chelsi asked her sons, “Would you keep it, or would you give it?”
“They decided they would give the money to their teachers,” said Jones, director of nutrition services for the Centre and Canton-Galva school districts.
The $104.50 that Dawson and Easton raised will help Marion Elementary teachers buy supplies for their classrooms.
“They have to get so much extra supplies because of coronavirus,” said Dawson, who will start second grade in September.
Setting up and running the stand was work.
The boys had their mom help them make signs and set up a table outside Carlsons’ Grocery from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday.
The boys sold cups of pink and regular lemonade for 50 cents.
“Some people gave us dollar bills,” said Easton, who will be a kindergartner.
Dawson and Easton worked at being good salesmen.
“We wouldn’t let the people come to us,” he said. “We asked them if they wanted some lemonade.”
“Like 100” people visited their stand, Easton said.
Dawson agreed, “With 104 bucks, it was probably 100,” he said.
When the brothers closed up shop, Jones drove them to Marion Elementary and let them present their gift.
“We went to the school and gave the money to Mr. Wasmuth,” Dawson said. Wasmuth is the school’s principal. “He was really happy that we gave him the money. He said ‘thank-you.’ ”
Dawson said teachers probably would have to buy ‘extra masks’ this year as supplies.
“And hand sanitizer,” he said.
Science and history are favorite school subjects but Dawson also plays football, baseball, and soccer.
Ethan is getting good at math, says his proud mom, but he really loves to play soccer along with Dawson.
In the meantime, the brothers still want to make the most of their summer.
“I really want to go to the pool,” Ethan said.
Dawson said he really wanted to “leave the country.”
“Maybe, Mexico. Because I have never been to Mexico. I’ve been to Canada,” he said.