It Started as One Lemonade Stand… Now the Goal Is 500

It's back and bigger than ever... that's right we're talking about Little Legends Lemonade Stand Fundraiser 2026. 

What started as a simple lemonade stand now has a goal of 500 stands nationwide.

Keri sits down with the team behind Little Legends Lemonade to talk about how this actually came together, why kids need real-world experiences early, and how something small can turn into something that matters. They also share what it takes to pull this off, how to get involved, and why this cause goes way beyond just “a fun event.”

If you’ve got kids, a business, or just want to be part of something bigger, this one’s for you.

And stay tuned for the official Little Legends Lemonade Stand dates and details... COMING SOON! 

Transcript

Sponsor Spots: Women’s Care And Reset

Keri Croft 0:00

Avena Women's Care is a collective of 40-plus providers that have been serving Central Ohio communities with comprehensive women's health care for decades. They meet women where they are in every phase of life. From fertility services to menopause care, annual checkups to 3D mammography, Avena provides robust services for all. So for the highest level of individualized women's health care, there's one name to remember: Avena Women's Care. Go to www.avenawomen's care.com to request an appointment. Be sure to tell them Carrie sent you. If you're ready for a true reset, inside and out, Donaldson is here to help you become the very best version of you. They combine cosmetic surgery and functional medicine to support how you look, how you feel, and how you move through the world with care that's personalized, thoughtful, and never one size fits all. This isn't about changing who you are. This is about feeling refreshed, balanced, and confident again. So if you've been craving a real pick-me-up, Donaldson is ready when you are.

Kim 1:29

You know, some really need a gavel. Sometimes when you talk about the board, I don't know why it's not like a judge thing, but I feel like we want you to have a gavel.

Keri Croft 1:38

I think we need the board that has like a gavel and a sword.

Anthony 1:43

A board sword.

Keri Croft 1:46

Kimmy Anthony, welcome.

Anthony 1:47

Thanks for having us.

Keri Croft 1:48

Welcome to the Carrie Croft Show, Lemonade Stand Edition. We're back.

Anthony 1:52

When life gives you lemons, call us.

Keri Croft 1:57

See, I know I know the people at home were just waiting anxiously for this, these two faces to come around because you know it's almost lemonade time.

Kim 2:04

Which is crazy because I feel like we were just here five minutes ago talking about it.

Keri Croft 2:07

It's so crazy. And you know what? As we do, the lemonade stand is gonna be bigger and more badass than ever this year. Yeah.

Kim 2:14

500 stands nationwide. That she just did it. She put the gavel down. She put the gavel down.

Anthony 2:20

500 nationwide. You heard it here. Get to work, America.

How The Movement Started

Keri Croft 2:24

Yeah. Okay, so for those of you who are new who are new here, and we do have some new people, which is very exciting, but we do need to get you up to speed very, very quickly. Reader's Digest version. Anthony has started this movement basically two years ago with Lunchbox Ohio, which has now transitioned into hopefully 500 lemonade stands this year. Um, we've done this two years in a row. We're very excited about it. The goal really is to teach our kids to be kind, teach them to work as a team, entrepreneurial spirit, and to have a little fun and raise money for a good cause. Right? Did I miss anything? And to drink some lemonade. Uh we're done here. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, you nailed it. We can uh close this session.

Anthony 3:03

See that the gavel has been laid.

Keri Croft 3:05

It has been.

Anthony 3:06

No, you nailed it. I mean, it really just started as a way to try to figure out how to do more good. And then the two geniuses got involved with uh the dumbass, and we started thinking about how we could connect the dots and get kids to start thinking about doing good and having a little fun along the way.

Keri Croft 3:24

Yeah.

Anthony 3:25

And thus life gave us lemons.

Partnering With Cancer Free Kids

Keri Croft 3:28

Yes, this is true. So this year we are going to be partnering with Cancer Free Kids, which I'm very excited about.

Kim 3:36

I'm pumped. That was your idea. Yeah.

Keri Croft 3:38

Well, so I I found Cancer Free Kids through my girl Krista at Panacea. I went to an event there recently.

Anthony 3:45

And Did you get a massage?

Keri Croft 3:47

I did not, but have you been there? No but have you been in their amenities room? You need to take your beloved back to Aunt Bitty to you need to take Aunt Bitty to Panacea.

Anthony 3:58

She needs to bring me there.

Spa Side Quest And Boundaries

Keri Croft 4:00

They had Love is Blind in there. We were just doing an episode about Panacea is next level. They have amazing amenities. You can you can go back there for as long as you want. You can put rub clay all over her. I was actually turning into something very good. So, no, let me tell you this. Real quick, we'll we'll take a little alleyway. So, Krista, the owner, is very, she's the opposite of me. Like she's demure, she's very careful. We produce her podcasts. Like she's extraordinarily, like, has to be very backed by facts and like just think of me on opposite day. Okay. So she asks me, Will you sit with me and do this Love is Blind uh thing for my show? I'm like, sure, but like I can't make any promises that you're gonna, you know, not want to edit this. So she starts going into this whole clay thing and talking in great detail about the clay, the different colors, how you like, and I'm like looking at her, and I totally can't even hear what she's saying because all I want to know is like, has anyone banged? Has anyone banged that you know of? Have there's have there been sexual things happened that have happened at Panacea and her face? I'm like, no, this is what people want to know. Like I'm not the only one, and you're not the dirtbag asking, so we're not editing this. Yeah, yeah. So do you know, like the number of people that probably have sex at these places probably highbrow?

Kim 5:17

Alex on Love is Blind. No, they didn't like each other.

Keri Croft 5:19

No, he was yeah, Panacea is a very like high class. Like, I I see people behaving themselves, and like Krista said, like doing it at home.

Anthony 5:27

Did she answer the question?

Keri Croft 5:28

I don't that's what she said. She's like, we don't own it.

Anthony 5:31

Let's check their cleaning bill. If they spend a weird amount on cleaning, we know the answer.

Keri Croft 5:37

So anyway, here we go. We go, this is not getting edited.

Kim 5:40

We're not editing. She has to do say it explained. Because this is great, people are anyway. Like they're talking about me.

Keri Croft 5:45

They're talking about panacea. I know.

Anthony 5:47

Well, I promise to obey all the rules when I go to panacea. I will not do anything bad.

Why Pediatric Cancer Is Underfunded

Keri Croft 5:53

He will be an absolute gentleman. So, anyway, back to my uh PG conversation. I went to this amazing event there as Krista's guest. They had cancer-free kids there. And the director, Jill, came up and spoke, and then Julie was a mother of um a cancer survivor. And I couldn't believe what I was struck by so much was the underfunding for pediatric cancer. Like I didn't, I mean, dumb. I'm a dummy. And so, what their goal and their reason for existing is to give grants to these people who are trying to, you know, just make the treatments better. So um, innovation and all the things. So if we can put some kind of just awareness and surround them with our badassery and muscle, I am so, so ready for that.

Anthony 6:41

Me too. I mean, there's there's nothing that's more important than helping kids, right? Like there's a million, maybe not a million, but there's certainly a lot of different avenues that we've always discussed about where could we continue to make this bigger and diversifying who we're helping. And I think knowing that we've brought kids into the fold to help us run the lemonade stand, this is just another way to kind of like deepen the deeper mission of what we're trying to do.

Kim 7:08

Yeah. Yeah. I like the idea of kids helping kids too. Yep. I think like in their little brains, you could explain it to them a little bit. I think, like in work that I've done with nationwide children's hospital, like explaining to Georgia that sometimes kids don't go to the doctors and sometimes they have to sleep there, and you sometimes they have to see doctors in the middle of the night. And this is like we need to help them through this time, whether it be drawing pictures, raising money. Um, but I like the idea of kids helping kids.

Date Planning And 500 Stands

Keri Croft 7:39

Yeah, me too. I think it's gonna be really special. The reason why we're talking about it so early is there's a lot of exciting things in the works about this stand this year, including we may move the flagship location to a more public um location, which that's to be determined. We have we're working with some people, but then also um we want to get you ready and rolling, but like the date will be announced soon. Just know that it'll be sometime between late July and in the August time frame on a Sunday.

Kim 8:06

So block off every Sunday. Every single Sunday March to October if you can.

Keri Croft 8:12

Don't do anything on the one Sunday, the day of rest anyway. Do not move until you hear the gavel, right?

Anthony 8:18

The sword. The sword.

Kim 8:19

Well, the sword.

Anthony 8:20

We did, yeah, we're gonna do the sword. Yes.

Kim 8:22

Well, if we have one stand, that's only four hundred and ninety-nine additional stands that we need to locate.

Keri Croft 8:27

That is very true. We're almost there. I think that's pretty. I mean, I like that. I like a good, like, audacious ground number. In in like if we could get 15, great, but like 500 would be even better. Yeah, call your friends in Arkansas.

Anthony 8:42

Tascala.

Keri Croft 8:43

Idaho. Yeah. I mean, it's and it's not if you haven't stopped by in the last two years, we'll create some imagery for you. It's not like a traditional quiet.

Kim 8:55

I feel like I should beat box in the back.

Keri Croft 8:57

Yes, you should beat box. There will be music. There will be adult beverages for someone who wants to partake. There will be other things for kids to do, like friendship bracelets. There will be a lot of, it's a fun event.

Kim 9:11

But also, if somebody's thinking about hosting a stand of their own, they don't have to have marshmallow there.

Keri Croft 9:17

They don't have to have no hair being done.

Kim 9:22

I mean, it could be two kids on a corner with a lemonade stand. Ours, everything the three of us do is like with their I we don't half-ass anything. No, we full ass. We're we full ass with everything. So it's the flagship. You gotta have to do amplifier and shelves, right?

Anthony 9:41

Is it a flagship or a flag sip?

Kim 9:45

Oh my God. Did you have a kid? Like your dad jokes are ridiculous today.

Anthony 9:50

No, but you know, just practicing.

Keri Croft 9:53

I think you were practicing those in the mirror. You were practicing those in the mirror this morning.

Anthony 9:56

Oh, pretty much every morning.

Keri Croft 9:59

I mean, yeah.

Anthony 10:00

I've got one of those tear-off calendars of dad jokes just to keep that mental muscle strong.

Keri Croft 10:06

Yeah. So there'll be dad jokes there. There will be, well, there's no shortage of dad jokes with between you and all of your male counterparts that come.

Anthony 10:15

Women can tell dad jokes.

Keri Croft 10:16

Yeah, the the women don't do the dad jokes the way the dads do the dad jokes.

Anthony 10:19

Women tell funny jokes. That's true.

Keri Croft 10:20

Yeah. But no, parents, please, like this is there's nothing better you can do for your kids than than get them involved in service early, even if they're kicking and screaming a little bit, because as we know, I mean, George is used to this. George is like a leader. She's like, I am I'm in service. Ford is still kicking a little. Dane's getting there, but man, that kid really wants to keep some money. Yeah. Um, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to shake that out of him, especially now that he's obsessed with Roblox and Robux and all the things. But there's a this is a really great way to get involved with something that is fun, easy, like you said. You don't have to do anything more than just like go outside with a you know, pitcher and your heart and you know, people will stop. But we would absolutely love to have you. So if you're interested, the best way to reach out is either carry at the carrycrosshow.com or you can DM me. Or if you are, if you know Kimmy and Anthony personally, and it's better for you to reach out to them, they know how to reach out to me. And we will create um the master list, and then what we'll do is we will continue letting you know as we get more detailed information around sponsors and where this location is gonna be and the date. Speaking of sponsors, I was literally just gonna say that.

Anthony 11:32

Great segue.

Sponsors And Volunteer Sign-Ups

Keri Croft 11:33

It took the words right out of my mouth. Stress and inflammation take a toll on your body and your wellness. Relax, restore, and rejuvenate at Panacea Luxury Spa Boutique. Book any service of $100 or more and enjoy two hours in our luxury amenities. Unwind in our Himalayan salt saunas, recharge in our wet retreat space with a eucalyptus steam room, hot hydrotherapy pool, and cold plunge. Then drift into deep relaxation with our hanging loungers. What's your panacea? We'll help you find it. I have a new obsession and I need to put you on it. Mia Santiago is a celebrity stylist right here in UA, and she's the only person I trust with my hair. Her precision cuts grow out perfectly, and she's created something unreal. Headspace by Mia, her chic scalp spa. It's not just a hair appointment, honey. It's a full-on reset. Your scalp gets healthy, your hair looks expansive, and your nervous system finally exhales. If winter has you feeling dry, tired, or overstimulated, this is your moment. Go book with Mia Santiago and her amazing team. You'll leave glowing, you'll feel lighter, and yes, you'll thank me after. Um, if you are a small business, so we have had such great support in the past two years. Um, Mikey's late night slice, they have been champions, incredible. And Mikey obviously is one of my absolute favorite human beings. We can't forget Mike from the Fluff. I mean, he's hometown hero. He'll be bringing up with he'll be bringing the fluff force one. I love it. What the calls, the fluff force one. And I can't name everyone, but there were so many great sponsors for the past two years. If you want to to help, if there's if you have a new product, if you just own a small business and you want to get involved, you can bring popsicles. There's things you can do. Um, we would love to have you join the fun.

Anthony 13:36

Well, and back to being full ass on everything, like we love new ideas. So if there are things that you have ideas for that we haven't thought about, get up, Carrie, hit us up, and we're we're all about entertaining new fun things to do because there's just a million different ways to help and ways to get your brand out there.

Hydraulics Cars And Hype Marketing

Keri Croft 13:55

So speaking of getting your I mean, these softballs, you guys, we were meant to be the three of them. Speaking of, thank you, uh getting your brand out there. So I'm just gonna put out my ideal dream marketing branding for this. Okay.

Kim 14:10

Let me get out my notebook.

Keri Croft 14:11

And I'm being dead serious. You're gonna think I'm joking, but people who know me will know this is real. If you know anyone who knows anyone who has a car with hydraulics, preferably a convertible, can you please reach out? Because I feel like the ultimate marketing this year would be having the kids. Yep. Right. And this year we'll have, we'll do it, we're gonna plan it ahead of time more. So we'll have Georgia, Ford, Dane, Kyle, but then who Deuce and like a larger group of children with their little legends lemonade new 2026 teas. Could you imagine them like in the car with the lemons? But there's like a car with hydraulics slowly, very safely, of course, rolling. So we can get. I need, I know somebody in the city has to has a car with hydraulics. And then we could like put on like um, you know, just some clean hip hop. Yeah. What is that? And the marketing would be lit. Slow-mo. Yep. And if okay, I'm gonna make one more request. I know I'm I'm getting a little bit. I feel like you just shot for the fences on the first. If you if you possibly have a paint job that has the um the, I don't know what you refer to it in the like in the industry, but it's the shiny, like glittery or ice cream paint job. Oh man, I don't know. Yeah, an ice cream paint. But anyway, so I've always had really good luck just putting it on the mic and like someone always knows someone. Wouldn't it be fucking great?

Anthony 15:49

Can I can I ask a like, why don't you have a car with hydraulics?

Keri Croft 15:54

Not yet. This is on the look. No, my best friend. Listen, my best friend in sh my best friend in Chicago and I, we always talk about because she has her own dream car, which is a little bit different. It's like more of like a vintage, like um, Mercedes kind of thing. But it's still one of those, like, mine's always been, I will have before it's all said and done, there will be like some kind, and I don't know if I'll have hydraulics or not, because that's more like fun for a minute, but like having one of those a donk, just it will be what you'll see me rolling. Yeah, you'll see me rolling. It will be unbolding.

Anthony 16:27

Truly, if somebody asked me, do you know anybody in Columbus with a car with hydraulics? I'd be like, probably Carrie Croft.

Keri Croft 16:34

I agree. That's who I would lean into. And then let me just take, let me ratchet down real quick, my dream. I will also be okay with if you have like a hoop dee that like feels with the vibe I'm talking about, just and it just doesn't quite have the hydraulics. I think it could be so cute. It could be so it we just need to like hype up the marketing and like the branding.

Kim 16:57

I feel like we could find the hoop-dee. I think the hydraulics presents a new challenge, but I'm open to working really hard to find it. But I think we could do this.

Keri Croft 17:07

But you know how sometimes, Kimmy, before you go down a wormhole, like so you don't really know the community that exists until you see it. So I I argue that there could be this like really legit hydraulics community here that we just aren't privy to because we're in a bubble.

Anthony 17:22

What if someone has a hoop dee and they're willing to install hydraulics and we know somebody that can do it, we do a lemonade pit my ride leading up to the city? Oh my god, shut us down.

Keri Croft 17:34

So it's over. So you know, back back to the whole like we we are open to how to make this lemonade stand just as wild.

Kim 17:44

Reminder for your own, you don't need a car with hydraulics. Right. Yeah.

Keri Croft 17:48

Just have to because the more the more wild we get, or the more creative, the more awareness and the more funds for cancer-free kids. I'm down.

Anthony 17:56

Yeah, I mean, ultimately doing good is fun. And you've seen it the past couple of years that we've done it. The kids, there might be some kicking and screaming leading up to it, but the kids that run the stand are having a blast.

Kim 18:08

Yeah. They do have a great time and they learn a little bit. And yeah, there for sure will be kicking and screaming. But I mean, my kids didn't want to go home last year. And it was like we had such a good day. They have so much fun.

Keri Croft 18:18

It's so good. And then also, my dream for our marketing this year. This is easy. We're gonna get an elephant. Well, actually, I speak too soon. This isn't gonna be we're gonna all ride it on elephants. Getting the kids on a pyramid, a human peer little human pyramid with their shirts on. I thought that would be really cute too. Georgia would be a strong base. But I was showing the um Jill and Julie from Cancer Free Kids. I was showing them at the end of our meeting. I was like, I want to show you our marketing from last year because it was just literally us like whipping this together and they were lemons at them. When they saw, they were like, this is so I'm like, we did this kind of last minute, but like with some runway, yeah. Look out.

Kim 18:55

Yeah, no, it only gets bigger and better every year and bigger in dollars raised too. So, and that's the most important part. So hopefully this is just another step up from what we did last year with hydraulics and elephants and everything else. But the bottom line. But bottom line, we'll raise more money than we did last year.

Keri Croft 19:18

Right. So we're open. We this is a call out. So please let us know. We are here and we are ready. Sponsors, hydraulics, all of it. Elephants.

Anthony 19:28

Do you think your money from uh bone thugs knows exhibit? There we could do the pimp my ride.

Keri Croft 19:37

You're you mean crazy? Like, or as I call them, cray? Cray bone.

Anthony 19:42

Yeah, crazy. Crazy. Do you know exhibit?

Graffiti Art And Bone Thugs

Wrap-Up And Where To Follow

Keri Croft 19:44

Can I tell you something about bone thugs real quick? You can tell me everything about bone thugs, and you don't have to do it real quick. Well, first of all, I just commissioned. So this, you guys, this is what happened, this is my world. Welcome. So this incredible graffiti artist, Felicia, who we have now become like she is so cool. So cool. And she does these things called dead cans. So every time a spray paint can is dead, she repurposes it. So it's very environmentally but she creates these like faces. So think of like Mr. Potato Head, but like graffiti, like like modern. She was showing me some of these. And first of all, it made my entire my whole the joy that these brought my eyeballs. Yeah. And I was like, you are so this is so incredible. And so the other day I was like, can you I can hardly say this out loud because I'm so ridiculous. Okay, I'm sorry. I can't. Of all of the things that we've just done through this. I know you asked for on a campus. Hold on. I I reached out to her. I said, Hey, while you're like working on this thing downstairs in the wall, can I commission you to do the five bone thugs for me? Can I I need all five of them? She goes, Okay, well, I suppose I could do that. I'm like, no, I want them all. I want them all, and I want them sitting like right here. I mean, uh my obsession. And then I said, once we get that, I want Eminem, Biggie, Tupac, obviously. Obviously. Um, but it makes me almost like cry laughing because it's her reaction, she gets the biggest kick out of me because she I don't come in the package that like, she's like, Who is this woman? Like, we talked last night. She's like, Can I call you and screen share? I'm like, absolutely. I mean, it's like 8:30 at night. I take zero calls right now, but I'll take it from you, right? And she, I see her face pop up and I'm like, I know your name's Felicia, but you know that song, Aisha, you are the girl. And she no, she started singing it. She's like, I cannot believe that you are singing this to me because my friend, like my best friend, used to do. I'm like, you just never know what's gonna happen. It's perfect. Well, uh, I think this meeting has been adjourned. Again, I'm so annoyed there's not a gavel.

Anthony 21:55

Kimmy, I'm coming back with swords next time.

Keri Croft 21:57

I'm so grateful. You're two very, very Very busy, important people. And we just really appreciate your leadership on the board. All right. And if you're still out there following your girl, follow me on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast. And until next time, reach out, sign up to be a lemonade stand this year, and keep moving.