Kaitlin and Laurin Stotts have raised thousands of dollars through the years for various causes by selling lemonade in their southern Leawood neighborhood. Photo credit Lucie Krisman.
Seven years ago, young Leawood sisters Kaitlin and Laurin Stotts decided to do some good by selling some lemonade.
The Stotts family wanted to raise money for the family of Robert Melton, a Kansas City police officer who had just been shot in the line of duty. Four lemonade stands later, the Stotts have raised thousands of dollars for various causes by selling lemonade to their neighbors.
This weekend, Kaitlin and Laurin — ages 14 and 12, respectively— will host their fifth lemonade stand fundraiser, this time for two fallen officers.
The year’s fundraiser will take place this Saturday
The girls will set up a lemonade stand on the corner of 121st Terrace and Wenonga Road in Leawood.
The sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
In addition to lemonade, customers can also buy baked goods, popcorn and bottled water — all of which will sell for $1.
This year’s proceeds will go to the Kansas City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 99 — in honor of Kansas City police officer James Muhlbauer and his K9 partner Champ, who both died in a crash earlier this year.
The Stotts held their first lemonade stand fundraiser in 2016
Kaitlin and Laurin said they knew they wanted the proceeds for their first lemonade stand to go toward a good cause, and because their father, Jared Stotts, used to be a police officer, honoring a fallen officer felt like the perfect choice.
Since then, the Stotts have raised money for the families of Wyandotte County fallen deputies Theresa King and Patrick Rohrer in 2018; tornado and flood victims in the Kansas City area in 2019; and the family of fallen Overland Park Officer Mike Mosher in 2021.
Kaitlin Stotts said her favorite part of doing these fundraisers is ultimately getting to see the reaction of the families who receive the proceeds.
“The response is usually pretty good — we usually raise $1,000 at least,” she said. “With (fundraisers like this), your whole community gets involved.”
The Stotts say response from the community has grown over the years
Tracey Stotts, Kaitlin and Laurin’s mother, said the girls have modified the stand each year, but that neighbors have come to recognize it.
Kaitlin and Laurin also earned honorary selling licenses from Mayor Peggy Dunn for their efforts.
The family also opened Venmo donations, which allows neighbors and members of the community to donate even if they can’t stop by for lemonade.
While the ultimate reason behind the fundraiser might be tragic, customers typically are happy to show they care through their donations — often paying up to $20 for a lemonade, Tracey Stotts said.
“People will come to buy a $1 lemonade, and pay with much more than a dollar,” she said. “It has a neat tie to the community.”
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