Two Barbie girls in a Chicago Sky world.
A few days ago, sisters Joy and Jade Lee had a goal to raise enough money to buy tickets to Chicago Sky’s game against Indiana Fever, one of the hottest tickets in the WNBA, by selling lemonade to their neighbors.
On Friday, their dream came true.
With the help of philanthropist Early Walker and the Chicago Sky, the sisters and their family received the VIP treatment ahead of the Sky’s “Barbie Night Game,” a highly anticipated matchup between star rookies Angel Reese of the Sky and Caitlin Clark of the Fever.
The sisters, dressed up in their best all-pink outfits, were picked up from their Roseland home in a luxury SUV and were dropped off at Wintrust Arena where they sat just a few rows away from their favorite players — including Reese, whose nickname since being selected No. 7 in this year’s draft by the Sky is Chi-Town Barbie.
“I love Angel Reese so much,” said Jade, 12. “She’s my favorite player. I love her personality and she loves Barbie and I love Barbie.”
Despite the Sky falling to the Fever in a 100-81 loss, Reese recorded her 23rd double-double, the most by a rookie in league history.
Just minutes before tipoff, the girls were brought onto the court holding a “We sold lemonade 2 get here” sign.
Joy, wearing a pink beret, and Jade, in a pink bow and knee-high socks, posed for photos on the court with Chicago Sky guard Diamond DeShields and Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston.
“This is the best day ever,” said Jade. “I was so nervous and surprised. I didn’t know they were going to do that.”
All smiles, the girls walked off the court and were given Barbie dolls and Sky merchandise, including a basketball and jerseys.
“This means everything to me,” said Joy, 11. “I’m very grateful for everything.”
The girls were accompanied to the game by their parents, aunt and three cousins.
Before the game, the girls were treated to a pizza dinner at Giordano’s and were invited to a panel about women’s sports and women in leadership where they met Sky center Elizabeth Williams.
“They’re having the time of their lives,” their mom Brittany Powell-Lee said. “This has been a dream come true.”
Powell-Lee said she’s grateful for the support her daughters have received since they set up their lemonade stand Monday.
“We are so grateful,” she said. “It’s something that my husband and I couldn’t do for our children and we are happy that there are people in this world who could step in and do it for them. My girls are only 11 and 12, and they just sold lemonade. It was lemons, water and sugar, and we’ve received an outpour of love and support from the community.”
The idea for a lemonade stand started after the girls told their mom they wanted to attend a Sky game. Powell-Lee was on board until she looked up ticket prices and realized they couldn’t afford the expense after buying the girls’ school supplies and uniforms.
Powell-Lee told her daughters they would have to find a way to pay for the tickets themselves.
“I’m so proud of them,” said Powell-Lee. “They’ve done a great job. Dreams don’t always come true but if you work hard they can come true and look what happened, it did come true.”
Neighbors, friends and family showed up at the stand, on the corner of 111th Street and Princeton Avenue, to support the Lee sisters and on their first day they raised almost $500.
On Tuesday, Walker surprised the girls at their stand and gifted them $2,000 to purchase their tickets.
“They say it takes a village to raise our children and that’s exactly what’s happened,” said Walker. “We have kids that decided to set up a business and work for what they wanted. This just shows that this is what happens when you do something positive. You get rewarded.”
An even bigger surprise came the next day when the Sky’s mascot, Skye the Lioness, gave them four VIP tickets on behalf of the team.
“I’m very grateful for the Sky organization,” said Powell-Lee. “It shows us that they care about the community that they are a part of. We are in the Far South Side and they’ve shown that their love and support stretches out to all parts of the city.”
