Drinks & snacks sold for very good cause
When Emilia O’Dell’s friend was diagnosed with cancer, she and her family wanted to do something to help. They decided to reach out to Alex’s Lemonade Stand and sell cups of the refreshing beverage, as well as baked goods. The effort raised nearly $700 for childhood cancer research.
“I thought it was amazing,” mother Susan said of the outpouring from the community. “A lot of people didn’t even want any lemonade; they just wanted to donate money. It was very heartwarming.”
Folks tend to be generous when it comes to kids selling lemonade, O’Dell said, but when they found out what they were raising money for, the donations didn’t stop. One passerby even paid $5 just for a lemon.
When the family decided to set up the lemonade stand, O’Dell reached out to the foundation, which was conducting a Lemonade Days event the week of Aug. 1 to 9. Following an email request to participate, the family received banners, coupons for the lemonade, and information about the girl who started the foundation.
According to the foundation’s website, Alexandra “Alex” Scott was diagnosed with childhood cancer just before her first birthday. When she turned four, she told her parents she wanted to set up a front-yard lemonade stand. Her plan was to give the money to doctors to help them find a cure. Her first “Alex’s Lemonade Stand” raised $2,000 in one day.
On the morning of Aug. 1, preparation began by putting out a table and umbrella in front of the Willis Avenue home, but unfortunately someone thought the items had been put by the curb as trash. O’Dell called the police and was able to provide security footage of the man and his vehicle.
Realizing the misunderstanding, the man returned the items and even made a donation to the cause.
With the table returned, Leah, 13, Emilia, 7, and Rachel, 5, were able to set up for the sale.
Although the home is near Duncan Avenue and receives a lot of foot traffic, a garage sale down the road helped to boost sales of lemonade and baked goods.
O’Dell baked a loaf of banana bread, 200 cookies (molasses, honey, and lemon), and 30 lemon bars. Nearly everything sold by the end of the day, including about four gallons of lemonade.
After the fund raiser was complete, Emilia said she wishes she could help all children with cancer, but realizes even a little bit helps.
