HOUSTON, Texas – Michael‘s vision is to see 1,000,000 new businesses open a single day in cities across America. To realize his goal, he speaks passionately about the program to organizations in Houston and across the nation to encourage community and business leaders, educators, parents, and children to get involved. To date, 24 cities have joined Lemonade Day and are bringing the zest of the program to their community.

Nominated for the National HONOR ROLL of American Entrepreneurs by: Prepared 4 Life. The mission of Prepared 4 Life (P4L) is to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of youth by engaging them in positive, life-changing programs. P4L is reaching youth one child at a time by teaching them the nuts and bolts of the entrepreneurial process. Our goal is to build a society of economically  independent individuals, who also are engaged, community-minded citizens. Contact Julie Eberly, Executive Director, 713-400-9326, [email protected]

Michael Holthouse is the creator of Lemonade Day and the Holthouse Foundation for Kids. Michael is best known in the business world as founder and President of Paranet, Inc, a computer  network services company. In just six years, Michael expanded Paranet to 27 offices and 1600 employees with revenues in excess of $100 million. He ultimately sold the company to Sprint in 1997.Michael took his success and decided to spend the rest of his life dedicated to helping at-risk youth. First, he embarked on a worldwide learning adventure. By visiting communities around the globe, Michael realized that successful individuals and communities possess a common trait – an entrepreneurial spirit. After eight years of research, including the evaluation of many children’s programs, Michael created the Holthouse Foundation for Kids to help youth from low-income families acquire the skills they need to become successful adults. Major achievements by the Holthouse

Foundation for Kids include supporting Boys and Girls Club with a $1million gift after the collapse of its title sponsor, Enron. He also teamed up with the “After School All-Stars” to support innovative after-school programming in Houston. By 2006, he created a separate non-profit organization called Prepared 4 Life, whose mission is to enhance youths’ lives by focusing on a missing element in many youth education organizations: entrepreneurship. In the beginning, Prepared 4 Life made a huge impact for hundreds of students at seven middle schools in Houston by providing fun and experiential programming infused with developmental assets such as positive values, social competence, empowerment, positive identity, and a commitment to learning.

Michael’s vision to revolutionize the way kids learn was further enhanced when, at the urging of his daughter, they created a lemonade stand together. During the course of that day, Michael taught her about creating a plan, the benefits of location, and paying back her investor. He realized that through the simple act of opening a lemonade stand, basic financial literacy lessons can be taught.
As a result, Lemonade Day was launched four years ago as an annual, community-wide program that provides youth of all ages and demographics with free educational materials that teach them the step-by-step process of how to start, own, and operate a business – a lemonade stand. This replicable program supports communities coming together for a common purpose, to support the youth in their lives. For many, creating positive experiences for children offers the first step in changing the path their lives will take. The effects may not be seen now, but in 20 years, the impact will be astounding.

Michael‘s vision is to see 1,000,000 new businesses open a single day in cities across America. To realize his goal, he speaks passionately about the program to organizations in Houston and across the nation to encourage community and business leaders, educators, parents, and children to get involved. To date, 24 cities have joined Lemonade Day and are bringing the zest of the program to their community. His dedication to ensuring kids receive all the benefits of early experiences in entrepreneurship is inspiring a whole new generation of young entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders of the world. Besides being a highly successful entrepreneur, Michael is also a visionary community leader, outstanding local citizen, and devoted father and husband who cares deeply about enhancing the lives of children everywhere.

Contact:

  • Michael Holthouse, Founder,
    Holthouse Foundation for Kids
    1800 West Loop South, Suite 1875,
    Houston, TX 77027
    713-626-5511
    [email protected]
    http://www.lemonadeday.org/