Kason Hitt and Colton Hunter may be kids, but they’re the kind of kids who don’t sit around and wait for someone else to fix what’s broken.

Taking a pause last summer from all the free time they could have been spending on swimming pools, baseball, or video games, the two friends and Hanceville 2nd graders noticed that some kids at their school the previous year didn’t always have enough money to pay for lunch — so they decided to do something about it.

“My mom read an article about how some kids and parents aren’t able to pay their past due lunch accounts,” said Kason, “and she asked me if I wanted to do something to help. So we decided on a lemonade stand. I wanted Colton to do it with me, and he thought it was a great idea.”

Valerie Hitt, Kason’s mom, said she already knew how to make the lemonade (“It’s a secret recipe, so I cant tell you!” she joked), so armed with a sweet carload of lemonade, cookies, and candy, the two kids set up shop in front of Hanceville City Hall and opened for business.

The kids, said Valerie, didn’t need to be rescued by the grown-ups once they’d embarked on their big idea. “Ultimately the boys did all the work. Kason and I squeezed the lemonade and baked cookies. We wanted to show them the value of hard work and what they could achieve. We told them if they wanted to do it, they were going to be the ones doing the work. We would assist if they needed help, but we were not doing it ‘for’ them.”

The kids worked — and the idea worked. By the time the two pals were ready to take down the lemonade stand, they’d raked in nearly $1,200 — all of which ended up going to the Hanceville School Child Nutrition Program, helping to pay off student lunchroom debts that families weren’t able to afford.

Kason and Colton said they’d never run a lemonade stand before last summer, but once they got good at it, they weren’t ready to walk away from their budding second careers as grassroots entrepreneurs. In December, the two were at it again, this time working a stand at the Cullman County Christmas Parade for troops overseas.

“We set up a stand to have people come by and sign Christmas cards to show our love and support from our community to our troops who could not be with their family,” explained Kason.

“They’re making a sacrifice for us by not being with their families during the holidays and are fighting for our freedom, so it was the least we could do to show them our love and support and to tell them ‘thank you.’ We handed out free candy canes to everyone who signed Christmas cards for our troops.”

It’s that selflessness and initiative that makes Colton and Kason Unsung Heroes.

“I am still very proud of these boys,” said Valerie. “Maybe they can do it again this year. And also, maybe we can challenge other kids at other schools to do a lemonade stand before school starts back in August, to help with past due accounts for their fellow classmates.”

“Our boys have such a compassionate, caring and servant heart,” added Khila Howell, Colton’s mom. “They are always willing to lend a hand, whether it’s around the house or helping someone else. We want our kids to have values and be respectful of others.”