Two smiling girls in white T-shirts with 'Lemon Aide Society' printed on them, outdoors, holding a clear plastic pitcher with lemonade.
Illustration of a sliced lemon with yellow pulp and white seeds

Inspiring the next generation of female leaders to make a difference in the world.

Through empowerment, service, and mentorship, Lemon Aide Society helps girls build confidence while making a sustainable difference in their community.

Our Pillars

Three young women standing in front of a backdrop with Texas Women's Foundation logos, holding a bright pink T-shirt that reads '#BEST SELF'.

Empowerment

The Lemon Aide Society grows strong and confident female leaders. Our girls actively learn about themselves and their ability to make a difference in our community through mentorship, project leadership, teamwork, and community service.

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Service

Service is the vehicle by which our Lemon Aides cultivate their leadership skills. Girls come together each month, led by a project leader, to learn about a specific need in our community, identify ways to address that need, and participate in a service project.

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Leadership

Our programs foster leadership identity through our unique mentorship program. Girls each have the opportunity to take ownership of a service project, and they discover personal strengths by guiding their group in planning, decision making, implementing their projects.

The Lemon Aide Way

Our Programs

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Monthly Program

Our monthly program runs during the school year for girls in grades 2-12. Girls are divided into groups by grade, and will meet with their group once a month to complete a service project that they have planned under the guidance of their mentors. As girls grow through our program, they will learn to have more autonomy and control over their projects. This program teaches young girls leadership, empowerment, and how to make a sustainable difference in their community.


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School Program

Lemon Aide in the Schools (LASIS) is a free, weekly afterschool program for girls in grades 3-6. By collaborating with at-risk schools, we are able to effectively reach girls who may otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in a female empowerment and mentorship program. Our vision is for every girl to have the self-confidence, self-esteem, and life skills to reach their full potential and give back to future generations of female leaders.


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Camp Program

Camp Lemon Aide runs 2 one-week camp sessions each summer. Join us as we spend the week doing art and STEM projects, playing games, making snacks, and most importantly, spreading our Lemon Aide sunshine as we engage in meaningful service projects! We will conclude our session with a community service project that we plan ourselves over the course of the camp week. Girls in grades 2-6 can be campers, and older girls can volunteer as counselors (10th-12th) or CITs (7th-9th)!


Two young girls are sitting on the floor, making a colorful poster that says "GAGA MAY" with the words "butterflies" and "birthdays" written underneath. The poster features drawings of butterflies and is being decorated with markers, with art supplies scattered around.

Gaga’s Butterflies

Come celebrate seniors’ birthdays with us at Legacy Midtown Park! Macy Gutow, one of our Teen Mentors, created this program in honor of her grandmother. One weekend each month, she will lead two volunteer opportunities — one on Saturday to bake and get ready for the celebration, and one on Sunday helping celebrate at Legacy. There is no commitment to participate in this project; girls will have the opportunity to sign up the month before if they want to help.

Our Story

A group of nine young girls in Lemon Aide Society hoodies, gathered around a table with packages of toiletries and personal care items.

The Lemon Aide Society is a service organization building the next generation of female leaders. The organization was founded in 2020 by Debbie Weinstein with the help of Julie Cruz. With over a combined 60 years of mentoring and educating girls in various settings, it was clear that girls strive to be their best selves when someone believes in them. Recognizing a need in our community, Debbie and Julie developed an impactful female empowerment, service, and leadership program focused on relationship building with the self, each other, and our community.

What started as a small camp over Zoom has blossomed into a multi-program organization that has made its mark on the Dallas community. Our programs have reached over 200 young girls and women, and allowed them each to build confidence and inner strength while having fun and helping others.

The Lemon Aides of today are the mentors of tomorrow and global citizens of the world!

Meet our Team

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Debbie Weinstein

Director

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Julie Cruz

Co-Director

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Hannah Peaslee

Program & Communications Coordinator

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Ruthie Shor

Community Liaison

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Marcy Gutow

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School Liaison

Macy Gutow

Gaga’s Butterflies Program Leader