See photos from Glenn's event HERE
See photos from across the country HERE
Glenn hosted a "National Lemonade Stand, Bake Sale, and Hug-A-Thon" special on Wednesday night full of excitement, lemonade, dancing cupcakes, fried chicken, families, and good old fashioned summer fun - all LIVE from Babe's Chicken in Cedar Hill, TX!
The highlight of the night may have been what happened after Glenn finished his monologue. After wrapping up and explaining why he decided to encourage people to hold lemonade stands across the country, he went to Pat and Stu in Babe's parking lot to talk to some of the young kids at their lemonade stand. One girl had a sign saying she had no licenses, forms, or permits - she was just a nine year old who wanted to raise enough money to buy a puppy. Pat asked her if she got a hundred dollars, how much would she give to charity? She said 75%.
And then he shocked her by asking how much she would give to charity if she got a thousand dollars!
The young girl took a look at the money, screamed in excitement, and quickly went to fill a glass for Pat and Stu. Pat laughed and said the money was from Glenn and Tania who wanted her to get that puppy she wanted. The puppy cost a little over a hundred dollars - and she donated the rest to Mercury One.
Earlier in the show, Glenn, who may have made a bad choice wearing four layers in the Texas heat, delivered a powerful monologue about the importance of entrepreneurialism. He focused on the way that out of control regulation has hobbled kids from going out and do something as easy as setting up a lemonade stand. He explained that when you're a kid, lemonade stands can be an entryway to capitalism. When it's a hot day and you find out that people will give you money for a cold glass of lemonade - that's a lesson! And you find out you can take that money and buy something (a puppy!) or save it or give it to charity - again, an important lesson.
But laws and regulations passed under the guise of "protecting people" now say that the lemonade a little kid makes and sells outside their house may not meet certain standards or their stand doesn't meet some ridiculous criteria. In New York City, you have to file IRS forms and permits before opening a lemonade stand. In fact, you even have to take a fifteen hour food protection course! These rules don't protect us, they stop the next generation from learning about entrepreneurship and capitalism. (video after the ad below)
WATCH Glenn explain below: