Lemonade Fridays unite nonprofits at downtown setting
The lemonade stand at 150 N. Main Street in Butler didn’t just offer a cure for the hot weather Friday, it was a point where young adults could connect with resources.
The Slippery Rock University Center for Community Engagement, Empowerment and Development (SUCCEED) has scheduled its “Lemonade Fridays” weekly throughout the summer in an effort to engage with the downtown Butler community and connect people with local organizations and nonprofits.
This Friday, the nonprofit Fishing for Memories let visitors try a fishing simulator that also helped introduce them to the organization’s mission, and a representative from the Pittsburgh Job Corps Center volunteered to tell people about its career-prep mission.
Josette Skobieranda Dau, associate director of Butler SUCCEED, said this weekly event provides a relaxed environment for passersby, who may live or work in downtown Butler, to become familiar with the organization.
“The idea is youth outreach, awareness and for us to be active on Main (Street),” she said. “We had ... 65 stop for lemonade.”
Butler SUCCEED has hosted events for college students, people in recovery, community groups and other nonprofits. Skobieranda Dau said Lemonade Fridays are aimed at people 21 and younger, and the organizations attending each week mainly operate within that demographic.
For example, the Pittsburgh Job Corps primarily assists people aged 16 to 24.
Fishing for Memories is a nonprofit aimed at providing families with outdoor opportunities that foster communication and strengthen bonds.
Chris Ebner, who runs the organization alongside his wife, Jennie Ebner, said the fishing simulator is a recent purchase that is meant to not only be a backup activity for families, but help raise awareness of the group’s mission by being present at community events.
“We specialize in adoption and fostering situations and providing them with experiences,” Ebner said. “When you are outdoors and using your senses and muscles, that strengthens your memory and bonds.”
Jacques Baynes, the volunteer from the Pittsburgh Job Corps Center, said the organization helps 16- to 24-year-olds throughout western Pennsylvania find skills or work they enjoy and helps make them more employable through whatever means they have available to them. Corps staff may help someone complete their high school diploma, get a driver’s license or apply for a job.
Ebner said the opportunity to be a part of Butler County’s nonprofit community is good not only for Fishing for Memories, but for everyone who finds help from an action group.
“Something Butler has that is unique is that nonprofits are working together. You don’t see that everywhere,” Ebner said. “That’s nice to see — nonprofits working together to create a better Butler.”
Lemonade Fridays take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday until Aug. 19, and next week, the TILES project is scheduled to attend to give people a creative outlet for recovery.
