One family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is spreading autism awareness by serving up their own brand of lemonade.
By Tisha Powell
Published: Apr. 16, 2024 at 9:58 PM CDT
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Autism spectrum disorder affects about one in 36 children with boys being four times more likely to be identified as having autism according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is spreading autism awareness by serving up their brand of lemonade.
From applying the labels to filling the bottles, Leroy’s Lipsmack’n Lemonade is a family business with 17-year-old Leroy Hayward at the center of the operation. The Haywards have been in business for over a decade. It all started as a mission to bring Leroy who is living with autism out of his shell.
“We set up a lemonade stand in our front yard and Leroy loved it. He actually loved creating the flavor that we started with and that we still have today,” Leroy’s mom Sherilyn Hayward said.
Leroy’s award-winning recipe has helped to raise hundreds of dollars for children’s healthcare through lemonade sales.
“We took our money to Children’s Hospital because we wanted to give back to somebody who had helped Leroy and Children’s helped us find his autism,” Hayward said.
What the Haywards have also found along their journey is a sense of community as Leroy’s Lipsmack’n Lemonade is sought-after by countless local stores. Leroy looks forward to making the deliveries in person. He brings in the bottles and stocks the empty coolers by hand. Bet-R Grocery store owner Cliff Boulden has formed a bond with Leroy as many of his employees also have special needs.
“We’ve been selling it for about three years and it’s local which is always good. Keeping the local people going just like myself. We’re a local small business,” Boulden said.
Leroy had even bigger dreams beyond local retailers. After a convincing email from his mother, the family received an invitation to set up shop on the Louisiana State University campus. Leroy’s lemonade is now a fan favorite at Tiger Stadium, the Pete Maravich Center and Alex Box Stadium.
“It’s the best lemonade I’ve ever had,” said baseball fan Avery Guzzardo.
“It’s actually really, really good. It’s really sweet. I definitely did smack after drinking it. It was that good. I will be getting another cup after I finish this one,” LSU freshaman Stephanie Mejia added.
Support from fans at LSU and local stores has the Haywards overflowing with gratitude.
“Oh my god. I can’t even describe how we feel about what this business has done,” Hayward said. She added, it’s inspirational to other parents that have a child that has autism that they can be an entrepreneur. They can be whatever they set their minds to be as well. They can’t get left behind.”
Leroy’s Lipsmack’n Lemonade is growing so quickly that the Haywards are currently looking for a bigger manufacturing space to meet the demand for their product.
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