Students participated in a "Lemonade Stand-Off" to raise money for various charities Saturday.
Five stands were placed throughout downtown State College, at Appalachian Ski & Outdoors, Are U Hungry, Family Clothesline, Old State Clothing Co., and Got Used Bookstore. Each stand was operated by a group of students enrolled in an engineering entrepreneurship first year seminar.
Part of the challenge was developing creative sales, marketing and pricing strategies. Teams were required to operate each stand within State College Borough short-term retail operations and food safety regulations, according to a press release.
At Family Clothesline, team Penn State Lemonade raised money for Victoria Smith, through the Interfraternity/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON). The team displayed a picture of Victoria, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2005 at the age of 3.
The students hoped for people to connect with her emotionally, said team member Joe Maranowski (freshman-engineering).
"It's not about the lemonade. It's about her," he said.
Team Lemonade Brigade used music and a megaphone to attract customers. Its stand, in front of Got Used Bookstore, also offered free face painting for children.
"People have been donating a lot," Brigade team member Sarah Peck (freshman-engineering) said.
The team chose to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation.
Team Nittany Lion Lemonade took a different approach. Located at Old State Clothing Co., participants relied on being vocal to boost donations.
"It's worked out well," said Nittany Lion Lemonade team member Amy Meiklejohn (freshman-engineering).
The team, which raised money for the Penn State Children's Hospital, found the periods of rain and cloudy weather to be most challenging, Nittany Lion Lemonade team member Brian Kelly (freshman-engineering) said.
Teams did not set specific earning goals and exact earning figures were not immediately available as of Sunday.
"We're just happy with as much as we get," said Shauna Stiles (freshman-engineering), a member of team Penn State Lemonade.
