Let me just start off by saying that at the age of 2, I did not dress myself. I repeat, did not dress myself.
I still do not approve of the dreaded bonnet, nor the sunglasses (meh… those were actually kinda cute).
The very first lemonade stand was held in June 1999, right after the Ride for Heart. Coming home from the Ride, I saw a little lemonade stand run by 2 girls. Now, having been told this story a million times, and not actually remembering any of it, please hold my parents accountable for any misinformation – I was 2. While on the ride, my parents had told me why we were there, and who we were helping: people who’s hearts are broken. The lemonade stand seemed like a great idea to two-year-old-me, and not having the faintest clue what money was, my parents decided to take this opportunity to teach me about making a difference in the world and giving back to my community. The very next weekend, my sponsor sheet for the ride was put out, and I was having a complete blast, handing out dixie-cups of lemonade, and pouring from my tiny Fisher-Price pitcher. Being a very verbal toddler, supposedly told everyone who came by, that the lemonade cost “a donation for charity.”
Everything had to start somewhere, and for me, this was the very start – the inception of an event that would one day raise over $181,000 for paediatric cardiac research. I was merely 2 years old, and yet, I still knew that I was doing something for “charity” and to put it plainly, as it was explained to me, “to fix kids hearts that are broken.”
Me, with the infamous yellow Fisher-Price pitcher.
This was also the very first year of the Purple Helmet of Awesome that would stay with me for many years to come. (Me with my dad, at my very first Ride for Heart: 1998)
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