GRAND Magazine - November/December 2017 - 20

сover story

A Stand Against
Childhood Cancer
A

Give a GRAND Gift

BY CHERYL HARBOUR

lex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) started
with a small girl who had a little idea to have a
lemonade stand on her front lawn, but it turned
into a very big far-reaching organization. Since 2005
when the Foundation was started, more than $150 million has been collected to fund research into childhood
cancers.
In addition to skydiving Grandma Bee (our cover story)
there are individuals and groups holding ALSF fundraising events in California, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Bay area, Kansas City, Jackson Hole
and many other locations, as well as several nationwide
ongoing efforts. Some carry out the original concept - a
grassroots lemonade stand (and there have been more
than 40,000 of those through the years), but there are
also runs, bowling matches, stair climbs, and dinners, all
to support the cause.
The small girl with the original lemonade stand was
Alex Scott, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma
just before her first birthday. As treatment progressed,
Alex came to know firsthand the life of medical procedures and hospital stays that too many children with
cancer experience. When she was just four, Alex told
her parents she wanted to sell lemonade in their front
yard to raise money for her hospital and for the doctors working to help other kids. Even then, it was a
big dream and that first lemonade stand raised more
than $2,000.
20 GRAND

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2017

The message has never
been more clear: If life hands
you a lemon, make
lemonade.

The message has never been more clear: If life
hands you a lemon, make lemonade.
As Alex's lemonade stand idea continued, year
after year, she was also fighting cancer. Alex died in
2004 at the age of eight.
According to Heather Banaszek, ALSF's
Community Outreach Specialist for California,
"People don't always realize how common childhood cancer is - how it comes out of the blue and
can affect anyone." Heather has personal experience
because her son died of leukemia at age 13.
Heather continued, "We thought at the time we'd
like to start something to support cancer research
and treatment, and when I looked around at other
organizations, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
really stood out. They were already doing such effective work."
In addition to funding research, ALSF also established a family resources program, including Travel for
Care which helps cover costs, both transportation and
lodging, for families who must travel for their child's
cancer treatment.
Heather has met Grandma Bee and calls her
"extraordinary." "What she's doing is above and beyond."
Literally.

Click here for CHILDHOOD CANCER FACTS

http://www.grandsub.com https://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine/ https://www.twitter.com/grandMmagazine https://www.alexslemonade.org/about-alexs-lemonade-stand-foundation-childhood-cancer https://www.alexslemonade.org/ http://www.grandmagazine.com/2017/10/taking-stand-childhood-cancer/

GRAND Magazine - November/December 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - November/December 2017