At the end of July, KindCrafters from all over held lemonade stands in order to raise money to purchase toy cars for a local charity called Henry's Haul.
Henry's Haul donates matchbox cars to pediatric patients at Children's Mercy Hospitals in Kansas. The name of the charity comes from Henry R. a sweetheart with a contagious smile, who loved to play on his swing set and enjoyed his grandparents' farm. Henry had Leukemia and in February 2014 he gained his angel wings. "Henry's Haul" was started in August of 2013 during one of Henry's stays at CMH.
Kids still want to be kids even when they're sick. Most kids can play, even if they're confined to their room or even in bed. A simple car can add that smile to their face and perhaps, even for a minute, make their stay a tad better.
This is KindCraft's second annual event in support of Henry's Haul. Some KindCrafters shared pictures of their stands and trips to the store. Several made fliers to advertise, signs to grab the attention of potential customers, and a few even built their own lemonade stand!!! Below, we will share who held a stand; their location, totals, and reflections from the kids and their parents!
The Windham Hill Community Pool stand was put on by two families. They were able to purchase 325 cars-they cleared out the shelves at Target!!
These boys hosted a lemonade stand in front of their home in Nottington Creek in Olathe, KS. They raised $110 and 5 cars for a grand total of 115 cars. Mom says they enjoyed picking out the cars at the store and she loved seeing her kids actively having fun helping others.
This group of friends held their stand in their neighborhood in Overland Park, KS. They were able to purchase 80 cars and said they had a lot of fun! Their parents shared that it was great for them to learn about a charity. It also made them realize the hard work it takes to raise money for something as small as a matchbox car.
The first grade KC Cannons baseball team held their stand at Greg Aldridge State Farm in Lenexa, KS. They raised $460 dollars and cleared out the shelves at the store purchasing 285 cars. They were on the hunt for more cars to purchase!
These baseball players said they loved getting to help sick children and holding the signs :). The parents enjoyed hearing the boys tell people about Henry's Haul and also spending time together with other families united in kindness.
These sweet girls were able to purchase 192 cars! How fitting that they did pink lemonade!
These cuties know all about Henry's Haul-their mother runs Henry's Haul!! :) They collected 127 cars!
These sisters held their stand at TeaElla Boutique in Olathe, KS. They were able to purchase 124 cars!!
These siblings held their stand in their driveway. They were able to purchase 67 cars with the proceeds from their sale. The kids were happy to get a lot of customers and they were excited to be able to buy so many cars for kids in the hospital.
Their mom, Sharon Jansen, said she appreciated the opportunity to give to a good cause while spending quality time with her kids. She also liked the social aspect of visiting with neighbors when they stopped by.
"It showed my kids the benefits of doing something for others, not just for ourselves. It was a way to do something tangible for others in our community."
This group of friends set up their stand at Garmin in Olathe, Kansas during their lunch hour. They were overwhelmed by the generosity of the employees. They were able to purchase 550 cars!!!
The Nelson kids held their stand in their driveway and were able to purchase 200 cars
Brooke, their mom, explained, "It was a hands on experience for my children. The generosity we saw was amazing! It allowed my children to have a tangible experience in collecting money and then purchasing cars to donate. They got to see kindness in action while collecting donations and when donating the cars!"
What did the Nelson kids have to say?
"The lemonade was tasty!"
"A lot of people we know visited us."
"We made new friends."
The Olathe South Falcons were able to purchase 300 cars! They held their stand at a farmer's market-such a creative location! In fact, this is their SECOND lemonade stand with KindCraft in support of Henry's Haul. Way to go girls!!
KindCrafters all the way from Tennessee participated in our event. These guys even helped dad build their own stand. We love that it became a family project! They were able to purchase 51 cars.
We are SO proud of all of our KindCraft families and appreciate the time and effort you put into making this such a great event. Our second annual Lemonade Stand to support Henry's Haul was a hit with a GRAND total of 2,591 individual matchbox cars!!!! It is so awesome to see siblings, families, friends, neighbors, and teams coming together in kindness!