Keasha Maile, FEO, June 12, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 20
A group of Fort Erie elementary students squeezed kindness into every cup this summer as they hosted their second annual charity lemonade stand in support of Family and Children’s Services (FACS) Niagara. Eleven-year-old Brookelyn Reaman, along with a team of enthusiastic Grade 6 friends—Hadley Robinson, Hailey Holmes, Shiila, and Peyton Winter—returned to action on June 7, with a fundraising goal of $1,000 to help send underprivileged kids to summer camp through FACS Niagara’s Mountainview LemonAID Day campaign. Known this year as the Fort Erie Lemon Squeezies, the group was one of many who participated in the region-wide event. Mountainview LemonAID Day invited families, schools, and community groups across Niagara to register a lemonade stand, fundraise online, and raise awareness about supporting children in care. Each participant received a LemonAID kit with a branded stand, lemonade concentrate, t-shirts, hats, cups, pitchers, and stickers. The campaign culminated this past Saturday with stands popping up across the region in a colourful show of community spirit. For every $250 raised, FACS Niagara could send one child to a weeklong day camp. A total of $1,000 covered a whole week at overnight camp, opportunities many children would not otherwise experience. Participants were encouraged to ask friends and family to donate online in advance and to run their stands on LemonAID Day to boost their totals. According to Brookelyn’s mom, Rachel Reaman, the cause meant much to the girls. “Brookelyn was all about helping people, and she wanted these kids to have fun!’ She was thrilled when her friends wanted to help too,” Rachel said. The connection was personal for many involved. Brookelyn’s late grandfather had been a foster child, and one of her friends was adopted through the FACS foster system. That shared motivation inspired the girls to take ownership of the project, from decorating their signage to serving every cup with a smile.
Brookelyn shared, “It was rewarding to know we’d helped someone.” Hadley added, “More people should join in and help a good cause.” And for Shiila, the effort struck a deeply personal chord: “I liked to do this fundraiser because I would’ve really liked to go to camp when I was in foster care. I wanted to help kids like me!” This year’s stand was held at [LOCATION] and brought in a heartwarming total of $[AMOUNT RAISED]. With smiling faces, colourful signs, and a whole lot of community spirit, Brookelyn, Hadley, Hailey, Shiila, and Peyton proved once again that kindness and lemonade are a pretty unbeatable combination. Online donations for the Fort Erie Lemon Squeezies are still being accepted until June 30. There’s still time to support the cause and help send even more kids to camp.
