Hannah’s Second Annual Lemonade Stand for Haiti

 

4-year-old Hannah is at it again! This past Sunday Hannah and her friends held their second annual lemonade and cookie sale for Haiti in Edina, MN. Last year she and her friends raised $89 to help build homes in Haiti. This year’s sale raised $136 – a whopping 53% increase over last year.

I spoke with Hannah’s mother, EmmyLou about who was really the mover and shaker behind the sale, and EmmyLou said emphatically that Hannah was behind the whole thing. In fact, EmmyLou said she had been so focused on completing her doctoral dissertation that she kept putting the sale off, but Hannah patiently waited and kept bringing it up. Finally, EmmyLou agreed to a date with Hannah and the sale was on.

The whole family helped out, with little brother Patrick waving and adding energy, father Dan waving signs and hawking their wares loudly, and EmmyLou, making the lemonade, baking cookies and setting the sale up.

Hannah decided to have her first sale last year after hearing the story at her church of a widowed woman in Haiti who was living with her two young sons in a tin and tarps temporary shelter on the site of her earthquake destroyed.

Randy Mortensen, President of World Wide Village, visited the sale this year to lend encouragement to Hannah. “We tell our story to hundreds of people every year,” he said, “and here’s a 4-year-old young lady who just gets it. The way she remembers the story about Anita and her boys (the Haitian widow) and how she remains committed to actually doing something to help…She inspires all of us at World Wide Village.”

He went on to say that if more people would take action like Hannah did, no matter how small, a lot more could be done to help build homes and help the people of Haiti lift themselves out of chronic poverty. “Hannah’s only 4,” he said, “and she’s already trying to change the world for the better. Now that’s the power of God at work in the world!”

Watching Hannah I have to ask, “What am I willing to do the change the world? What about you?”

You can change the world for Haitian child by helping us build permanent homes in Haiti for families like Anita’s. Please, click on the link below and make a donation today – Hannah would be proud that she inspired you, too.