A Colorado Springs nonprofit marked the end of its summer youth program with a graduation celebration and community market at Acacia Park, drawing young students, their families, and neighborhood vendors together for the occasion.
Children spent two months working through WHealthy Kids Club, a program operated by nonprofit WHealthy Unlimited, developing entrepreneurship and financial literacy through a hands-on lemonade-making and selling curriculum. At the organization's downtown location, students prepared and sold the lemonade themselves as a core part of their training.
Site director Dominique Thompson said students earned their certificates through genuine effort, covering entrepreneur skills and lemonade production over the June-to-August stretch. The program's ambitions extend well past the basics of running a business. WHealthy Unlimited folds emotional development into its instruction, with Thompson describing how the organization works with young people on regulating their emotions and handling the kinds of triggers that surface in school.
A significant portion of the nonprofit's work is directed toward children of formerly incarcerated individuals, with the organization aiming to show young people that their circumstances do not have to dictate their future. Thompson said the backgrounds of those who work there reinforce that message directly, adding, "Most people who work here are justice impacted and so we're able to show them like that doesn't have to be your trajectory."
WHealthy Unlimited also provides physical wellness programming — including grappling and yoga — and offers free gym access to customers who buy a drink at the establishment. Thompson said the gym emerged from a recognition that neighborhood children needed a constructive outlet, and described it as a form of physical activity that differs meaningfully from what students typically encounter in school gym classes.
The graduation event extended into a broader community gathering with booths, games, and a kids market where 29 young entrepreneurs sold items including crocheted stuffed animals, cotton candy, and bag charms. Two District 11 students used the occasion to launch their own accessories stand, offering bag charms, press-on nails, clothing, and friendship bracelets. A program coach noted that the curriculum equips students with practical, transferable abilities, including the math and sales knowledge needed to operate a small business.
Meanwhile, a separate youth entrepreneurship effort has been taking shape north of the city. Black Forest business Cotton Blossom Caramel has been giving local children hands-on experience running a small beverage stand, covering all supply costs upfront and allowing the children to keep whatever they earn. The current autumn version of the program, called Cider Lane Littles, pairs cider with lemonade and charges customers one dollar per cup. This season's slots are fully booked, though the organizer hopes to bring back both summer and fall versions of the program next year.
A follow-up kids market is scheduled for late September in Colorado Springs, and WHealthy Unlimited has not announced details about its next program cohort.