BRYAN, Texas — When life gives you lemons, make a lemonade stand. That’s what 10-year-old Lyla Symons did.
“I got started with it when I went to an invention contest and my idea was cough drop gummies, and I won first place and the prize was a lemonade stand and everything you need to get started,” said Lyla Symons.
Once Symons had the materials to start her lemonade stand, she started making lemonade and donations.
“I think pretty successful,” said Symons. “I usually make around $70 to $130 each time but that’s only because people are so generous and tip a lot."
With Symons being in service for close to a year and a half, each time her stand is open, she donates to a local nonprofit.
“I just think that it's incredible because you know it’s so encouraging to see the younger generation take an interest in giving back to their community,” said Jennifer Young, Executive Director at the Aggieland Humane Society.
Young said donations like those from Lyla are how they operate.
“We rely heavily on the philanthropy and the generosity of the people in the community to be able to do the work that we do,” said Young.
Lyla not only helps local nonprofits but also gives back to her classmates.
“I’ve donated to Six Kittens Rescue, Aggieland Humane Society,” said Symons. “I’ve also donated to Breast Cancer at my school fundraiser, that’s when I made $130 to donate. I have also made Christmas presents for all my classmates and I wrote down a list of what they all wanted.”
Lyla says she absolutely loves having a lemonade stand and flagging down neighbors to come to her stand.
“I made a sign, so if you ever come down there, you’ll see me running back and forth because there’s oncoming traffic this way and there’s oncoming traffic this way, so you’ll just see be running back and forth with the sign in my hands,” said Symons. “I just love helping people. I love giving and helping. It just makes me feel really good.”
While Symons may have her lemonade stand now, she is a busy 10-year-old heading into her fifth-grade year and serves as a local Girl Scout and takes horseback riding lessons.
She has dreams of becoming an architect and would like to attend either Harvard University or Texas A&M University.