Ballerific Charity: NFL Players Come Together To Fund 12-Year-Old’s Lemonade Company

Thanks to a group of current and former NFL players, 12-year-old Mikaila Ulmer’s lemonade business is  $810,000 richer.

Former NFL running back Arian Foster, as well as Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin, Houston Texans’ Duane Brown and Jonathan Grimes, NFL free agent Omar Bolden, Seattle Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner, Detroit Lions’ Darius Slay and Raiders’ EJ Manuel are just some of the players who invested in the 12-year-old’s start up.

Before starting Me & The Bees Lemonade, the Austin, TX native had her own lemonade stand using her great grandmother’s flaxseed recipe. Now that she has expanded, Ulmer’s doing her best to give back. The young entrepreneur donates a portion of her lemonade profits to organizations that work to save honey bees.

Ulmer has appeared on Shark Tank, where she received  a $60,000 investment, as well as appeared on “Good Morning America.”

On Thursday, Arian Foster and Glover Quin attended the “Bee Brilliant” Entrepreneur Day at a Houston-area Boys & Girls Club alongside Ulmer.

“She’s super smart,” Quin told the Houston Chronicle. “She’s very special. Obviously, she has a bright future. Hopefully, I can be a part of it and nourish it and watch her grow. The sky is the limit. I’m very impressed with her.”

“She’s so humble,” Foster adds. “You always have to be open and willing to learn, and she is. I’m learning from her, too. It’s a cycle. You have to keep an open mind and continue to grow.”

You can get Ulmer’s  Me & The Bees Lemonade lemonade at Whole Foods, Wegman’s and other retailers.