Seven-year-old Elliana – described as a little entrepreneur – begged her parents for the last two summers to do a lemonade stand. Her parents eventually said yes, but with one stipulation:
“We wanted to teach her that it is better to give than receive, so we told her we would help her if she chose a charity to support,” said Randall Rearden, pastor of Finchville Baptist Church. “We gave her a list to choose from, and she chose Sunrise Children’s Services because adoption is close to our family's heart. Her big sister is adopted, and she understands that all children do not have a family.”
The Rearden family was in agreement: They would set up the lemonade stand in the parking lot of Finchville Baptist on Saturday, and all proceeds would go to Sunrise.
Project Lemonade Stand was in full gear. And so was the support from the congregation. Church members arrived to make lemonade, wave signs, and serve customers. Not even a forecast of rain was a deterrent.
Because of the inclement weather, the Reardens thought maybe only a few church members would stop by to purchase lemonade. But more turned out, and at least half of their customers were members of the community.
As customers arrived, the Reardens and others were able to share Sunrise’s mission: providing care and hope for hurting families and children through Christ-centered ministries. That mission seemed to resonate with folks as people gave generously.
The generosity didn’t stop on Saturday. “Donations continued to pour in from our church members the next day after church services,” Pastor Rearden said. “A friend from Florida even sent a donation after seeing our post on Facebook.”
An initial check from the event arrived at Sunrise’s Ministry Support Center in Mt. Washington, totaling $673. Later, another check arrived in the amount of $60. The grand total was $733.
This far surpassed the Rearden family’s expectations. “When we counted the total, we were all blown away. Elliana was thrilled, and she was able to learn how rewarding missions can be,” stated Pastor Rearden. “As parents, we realistically hoped she might make $50. It was a reminder that God can always multiply our meager offerings.”
A little girl with a big heart who longed to set up a lemonade stand – that’s all it took, on a rainy day, to shine a bright light of hope on hurting children in Kentucky.
We can all learn a lot from this little entrepreneur. Thank you Elliana, for your generous heart.
