When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. That’s exactly what Brianna Nichols of Inwood, West Virginia did with her Lemonade Day stand in 2016. Eight-year-old Brianna was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis (JA) after six months of consistent pain in her knees and shoulders. During the fall of her 2014 school year, her parents made the decision to homeschool her to manage her pain. While Brianna's condition is under control with medication and specialized exercise, there are many days where she struggles to remain positive.

Despite her condition, Brianna is active in a local 4-H group to keep in touch with friends her age. She recognized this as the perfect opportunity to pair her lemonade stand with a local bake sale for the 4-H group, which was held at a local Tractor Supply in Martinsburg, WV.

Brianna’s lemonade recipe included lemon juice, simple syrup, and water. She and her mom worked together to create the simple syrup at home. Brianna also decided to sell limeade so that her stand would have two available options for customers.

Staying true to tradition, Brianna made posters using paper and colored pencils with “lemonade stand” printed on them, as well as the two available options she was selling for 50 cents each. 

Her recipes were very popular, earning her $125, which she donated to the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation after repaying her loan for the lemonade supplies. Brianna learned a lot about entrepreneurship, teamwork, friendship, and the power of giving through her experience.