KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
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An 11-year-old Blue Springs girl is turning lemons into rocket fuel as she prepares for the adventure of a lifetime at NASA's Space Camp.
Ezri Henry has spent the past year running a lemonade stand on Gingerbread Lane, raising money to attend space camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
"We found an astronaut on Instagram,” Ezri said. “My mom commented that I want to be an astronaut when I grow up, and she said to start at space camp.”
The young entrepreneur has already sold $1,800 worth of lemonade, even switching to hot chocolate during the winter months to keep her business going.
"I've always really liked the stars," Ezri said. “I’ve always wanted to know if aliens are real, so I just wanna know.”
Her family and her mother, Cidne Henry, have supported the venture while teaching valuable life lessons along the way — from building the lemonade stand from the ground up to learning about the cost to run a business.
"I like to give my kids a business mindset of ... we earn what we get, and I feel like if she earns it, that she's gonna take it more seriously," Cidne said.
The space camp experience will give Ezri the opportunity to train like an astronaut, experience zero gravity, participate in space simulations and more.
"I think that my goal as a mother for her, with this whole experience, would not be to teach her that she has to be an astronaut, but to show her that if she wanted to be, she could," Cidne said.
With just 13 days until departure, Ezri has already reached her financial goal. Any additional funds she raises will go toward souvenirs and a space suit.
The community response has been overwhelming, according to her mother.
"We had more people come to visit her than I could even imagine," Cidne said.
As for Ezri's ultimate ambition?
"I just have a life goal to be the first woman on Mars," she said.
Cidne said to keep an eye out for updates on the Blue Springs Community Facebook page, where the Henrys will post if Ezri has her stand set up on the corner of SE Picadilly Street and SE Gingerbread Lane.
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