When Life Gives You Lemons
Girls make Giving Sweet
Squeeze a dozen lemons, add sugar, water and generosity of spirit; and you'll get the recipe used at the McNicholas family lemonade stand this summer. Clare and Erin, seven and nine years old respectively, have embarked upon a fundraising venture to benefit Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, and to gain a little bit more experience putting others before themselves.
Without prompting from any adults in their lives, the two girls have been selling lemonade on the weekends, hoping to raise money for young men and women in need. Their family is no stranger to Mercy Home. Their uncle, Rich Daniels, is currently the Chairman of the Board of Regents,a group of supporters who help Fr. Scott carry out our mission, and has been active at the home for many years. "We've tried to stress in our family that giving is not optional," he said when asked about his nieces.
The two girls even raised $300 last year for Mercy Home, by selling artwork they made in class. Daniels' own daughters participate in the Shamrock for Kids campaign, and may have influenced their cousins' desire to aid kids in crisis.
Daniels and his generous family are the embodiment of the Bible's teachings - "To whom much has been given, much is expected." Families like these, that promote generosity from generation to generation, create real life change one glass of lemonade at a time.