Kids’ lemonade stand sparks a big-time donation to the Deschutes Land Trust – and a big lesson for the grandkids

(Update: Adding video, comments from parent, grandparent, Deschutes Land Trust)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend nonprofit got a generous donation in a novel way - through a lemonade stand. For two girls, Noa and Lila, visiting their grandparents in Central Oregon turned out to have a big impact on the Deschutes Land Trust.

The trust received $25,000 from the McCabe-Walls Family Foundation, prompted by the pair's lemonade stand. 

The Rosenthals thought the lemonade stand by the Deschutes River would be a great way to entertain their grandkids. 

"My dad's been a donor to the Deschutes Land Trust for years, and, their home sits right on the river just upstream from Sunriver," the girls' mother, Debra Shapira, said Tuesday. "So we decided to try out selling lemonade. But instead of asking for money for the lemonade, we would ask for donations to the land trust."

The kids decorated colorful signs advertising the free lemonade. 

Their grandfather, Elden Rosenthal, printed out slips of paper with information about the land trust, handing them out to people while on their float. 

"I thought it was just be a cool thing to, try to teach it, you know, start that process of learning with our grandkids," he said. "This will be really fun. And we'll teach our grandkids something that's always been a part of our family."

Elden was excited to teach his granddaughters about caring for the environment and raising awareness of the land trust's work. 

The Deschutes Land Trust's mission is to conserve and care for the lands and waters that sustain Central Oregon. Land trust Development Director Sarah Holcombe told us what the funds will be used for.

"The donation will go towards future conservation of our lands in this area," she said. "It'll help the projects such as the Ochoco Preserve restoration that we're working on."

The girl's mother was shocked at the news of the gift. 

"We're just so incredibly surprised to hear the news from this family that we met and giggled with that afternoon, that they made this big donation," Shapira said. "It was such a great way to show our kids what happens when you get engaged with the community."

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Here's the land trust's story about the children's efforts and the big donation:

Lemonade Sweetened with Generosity

By Jana Hemphill

A classic summer staple—the lemonade stand—makes a big difference for the Deschutes Land Trust.

When the Rosenthal family set up their lemonade stand along the Deschutes River with their grandchildren, they had no idea the impact it would have.

Elden and Margie Rosenthal thought the lemonade stand would be a great way to entertain their daughter’s children, Noa, age 6, and Lila, age 9, while they were in town visiting. Instead of selling lemonade, they’d give it away and ask for donations to the Deschutes Land Trust. Elden was excited to teach his granddaughters about “one of the ways we can care for our environment, as well as raise awareness of the Land Trust’s work,” said the girls’ mother, Debra Shapira.

Beforehand, the kids decorated big, colorful signs advertising the free lemonade. Elden printed out slips of paper suggesting that folks check out the work of the Land Trust after they finished their float, and the kids signed each one with hearts and smiley faces.

The busy Fourth of July weekend arrived with beautiful, sunny weather. Debra shared, “We had music playing and my kids were hollering and waving folks over as they rounded the bend before our dock. Everyone on the river was surprised and grateful for the fresh, cold drinks.”

The family had a great time handing out lemonade on the river! Noa really enjoyed making the big sign and watching her Pop-Pop set it up on the river. Lila said, “It was nice to see how happy it made people. It was like giving someone a birthday gift and watching them open it.”

The biggest gift was yet to come, though. Chuck Walls and Micki McCabe were in town that weekend for Micki’s extended family’s “McCabe-apalooza.” Her parents, five siblings, and their spouses and kids had vacationed together for the past 20+ years, gathering the last eight years in Sunriver.

On the day the lemonade stand was set up, around 20-25 people in the McCabe family formed a flotilla of kayaks, SUPs, and inner tubes to enjoy Central Oregon’s beauty. Near the end of their float, they were greeted by Noa and Lila. Lila handed out the lemonade while Noa made sure to give out the notes. Chuck said, “They had such positive energy about them. We said hello to everyone and told them how great it was for them to provide lemonade to the floaters going by.”

When Chuck got back from the float, he went straight to Micki, who had stayed behind with their granddaughter. Chuck told Micki about the lemonade stand and showed her the note. Chuck said, “We decided right then to make a $25,000 donation to the Deschutes Land Trust through the McCabe Walls Family Foundation. The two kids seemed to be very involved in the project and we wanted them to know even at their young age, they can make a big difference in the world!”

As news of the gift arrived at the Shapira household, Lila said, “I was stunned! It was cool to realize that, because of our lemonade stand, someone gave a big donation to the Deschutes Land Trust. It made me feel happy and proud.”

It was the feel-good moment of the summer for the Shapiras, the Rosenthals, and the Deschutes Land Trust. Elden summed it up best, “I like to think about the fact that our parents taught us to be generous, that we taught our daughters, and that our daughters are teaching our grandchildren. And it seems the same dynamic must be present in the McCabe-Walls family. Climate change and our degrading environment are the issues of our time, and our children and grandchildren must be taught about the on-the-ground, in our neighborhood reality, and the need to be active in trying to do something about it.”