Hundreds of Calgary youth set up lemonade stands for fourth annual Lemonade Day

Saturday's hot weather proved ideal for Calgary's fourth annual Lemonade Day, as 780 youth ages 5 to 13 set up lemonade stands across the city to learn about entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

Participants use an app that walks them through goal-setting, branding, pricing and other elements of running a business. The program encourages kids to set "spend, save and share" goals, with some pledging a portion of their proceeds to local charities.

Evelina, 10, returned for her second year with her Lemon Panda stand stationed in front of Canadian Tire in Shawnessy. Last year she earned just shy of $300; this year she's aiming for $1,000 to fund a trip to China to see giant pandas in real life. She enlisted her friend Jessica, 10, who is participating for the first time. Jessica said she hopes to learn about making money, running a business, "and how to be brave. I'm kind of shy to talk to people."

Evelina won the award for Best Branding last year. This year she expanded her product line and brought to-go jars to her stand, showing the kind of growth organizers celebrate.

Chantelle Little, founder and CEO of Tiller—the local marketing agency that brought Lemonade Day to Calgary—said the goal is to introduce kids to valuable life skills "whether they go on to be an entrepreneur or not." The program has grown dramatically from just 164 participants four years ago.

"Kids are fearless and they have big dreams, and the opportunity creating a space for them to set some goals, go out there and build is really exciting," Little said.

Volunteer taste-testers visit stands around the city and choose winners for categories including Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Community Impact Award.