When it comes to business, there’s goals, and then there’s goals. These kids are putting millionaires to shame with their ideas that give back, inspire and make the world a better place. And there’s no better way to feel rich. Read on to find out why you should never underestimate the power of a kid.
photo: imgur
1. The Kid’s Charity That Feeds Kids
Entrepreneurial spirit can strike anyone, at any time, no matter their age. At just seven-years-old, first grader Kaden Newton already started his own charity organization in early 2017: Mac & Cheese and Pancakes. And he has collected well over 24,000 “kid-friendly” and “kid-approved” food items, like (you guessed it) Mac & Cheese. That’s nearly 28,000 pounds of food collected in two months time. He’s received items from Egypt, Puerto Rico and almost every state via his Amazon Wishlist. Read more about it here.
photo: Walter Miranda
2. The Bra That Detects Cancer
Many women have a love/ hate relationship with their bras, but there’s nothing to hate about a bra that could help its wearer discover signs of breast cancer. An 18 year-old student from Mexico has designed a bra that can do exactly that, after being inspired by his own mom’s battle with breast cancer. Julian Rios Cantu invented the EVA, which can detect breast cancer. The young entrepreneur runs his own company, Higia Technologies, and built the bra to primarily help women who are genetically predisposed to cancer. The bra is equipped with about 200 biosensors, which can map the surface of the breast and then detect changes in shape, weight, and temperature. The data can then be sent to a computer or mobile app for analysis. The idea is to replace self-diagnosis, which isn’t always effective. Read more about Juan’s amazing story here.
photo: TreesForTheFuture via flickr
3. The Kid Who Planted One Million Trees (Make That One Trillion)
When he was just nine-years-old Felix Finkbeiner had a goal: to plant one million trees in his home country of Germany. He was in the fourth grade. He started with just one tree, in front of his own school. His campaign quickly went viral and gained media international media coverage. He was soon invited to speak to the European Parliment and attend UN conferneces. He reached his goal of planting one-million trees in German in 2011, at the age of 13. But he was not done. To date, Finkbeiner is 19. He founded Plant-for-the-Planet and his organization, together with the UN’s Billion Tree campaign, has planted over 14 billion trees in more than 130 countries. So he’s got a bigger goal: one trillion trees. Plant-for-the-Planet has trained over 55,000 “ambassador” who are trained in workshops on how to become climate activists in their own home town. Most of his trainees are between the ages of 9 and 12! Join the campaign!
photo: Shahrzad Warkentin
4. The Science Subscription Box Created by an Eight-Year-Old
Created by an eight-year-old, Angeleno Max (now nine) invented this monthly subscription kit to entice kids ages 5-10 to develop a love of all things science. Each kit revolves around a storyline starring Max and his younger sister Grace. They discover their grandfather’s secret time machine and use it to travel back and meet famous scientists and inventors, like Thomas Edison or the Wright Brothers, who will help them solve a science related mystery. The stories are inspired by The Magic Treehouse series, explains Max’s mom, Jacki, who helps Max run his start-up company and bring to life all his amazing story ideas and experiments. Click here to learn more.
photo: Heather Smithers via flickr
5. The Girl Who Is Saving Bees
By age 11, Mikalia Ulmer has done more than many adults have in their lifetime. She’s an entrepreneur, protector of the honey bee, educator and student. She is the founder of Me & the Bees Lemonade, a company that uses her grandmother’s special recipe for lemonade with flaxseed and honey. She started selling her special lemonade recipe at kids’ entrepreneurial events and on roadside stands, and later won a deal on “Shark Tank.” Mikalia sells Me & the Bees Lemonade at Whole Foods Market and several food trucks and restaurants. She also gave the introduction of President Obama at a United State of Women forum. But her drive goes beyond making a profit. She donates a percentage of the profits from the sales to local and international organizations fighting to save the honeybees.
photo: willourceyfrogs.com
6. The Boy Who Can Feed a Nation
When Will Lourcey was seven-years-old, he saw a homeless man holding a sign that read “need a meal.” When Will’s parents explained to him that there are so many people in the world who don’t have food to eat, this Ft. Worth kiddo decided to “be a doer, not a watcher” from that moment on. He wanted to make a difference, so Will gathered some friend, made a plan, and he started FROGs (Friends Reaching Our Goals, Inc.). This kid-run organization sets out to inspire and mobilize other others to make positive change. As a result, Will and FROGs has provided more than 500,000 meals for the hungry through local food banks and FROGs Dinner Club. They’ve helped pack 80,000 backpacks with food through Backpacks for Kids, and served more than 10,000 families through the Mobile Food Pantry. Learn the latest and make your own donation here.
7. The Lemonade Stand By Kids, For Kids
What kiddo doesn’t want to set up a lemonade stand? Teach your little ones a humanitarian lesson by encouraging them to donate proceeds from their summer stand through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and fight childhood cancer “one cup at a time.” The foundation was started by Alexandra “Alex” Scott who was battling cancer and vowed to raise money to fight the illness. By the time Alex died in 2004, she raised $1 million and has inspired kids across the country to sell lemonade for a great cause. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation makes it easy to get started. All you need to do is register your lemonade stand’s location, date and time. You’ll receive a free fundraising kit in the mail and a personal fundraising coach to assist you with any questions.
Whose your favorite kidtrepreneur? Tell us about them in the comments below!
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