Communities Come Together for a Common Cause

If you have been visiting our website lately, you know that it has been a busy end of summer/beginning of fall for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. This past weekend was no exception, as both myself and Alex’s dad were busy attending events in three different states. Though the events couldn’t have been more different – they all had a common theme – amazing things are possible when a community comes together.

Above: Riley, Lauren and Jeremey celebrate a successful day of raising awareness for childrens cancer.
Photo Credit: netequityloans.com

I saw evidence of this theme right off the bat when I attended the event of a young stand host on Saturday. The stand host, Riley Gillespie, may only be 12-years-old, but he has accomplished amazing things in his quest to help make life better for kids touched by cancer. Four of those kids are friends of Riley’s. Riley decided to get involved with ALSF after his very best friend was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. When that friend, Jeremey, reached his last chemotherapy treatment, Riley decided to hold a lemonade stand to celebrate. Since that time, three more of Riley’s friends have been touched by childhood cancer, and sadly two of them passed away earlier this year. If anything, this only made Riley’s dedication to the cause stronger, and he proved that this weekend. Riley hosted a lemonade stand, walk-a-thon and car show, organizing every last detail, and his hard work paid off when he was able raise more than $17,000 for the Foundation! What an amazing kid, and what an amazing community surrounding him and supporting him this weekend.

After being immensely inspired by a young child following in Alex’s footsteps, I was off to another special event, this one in my hometown of Windsor, Connecticut. As some of you may know, both Jay and I grew up in Windsor, and the town has acted as one of our largest support groups. The residents continue to hold events for the foundation and make sure everyone who passes through knows the story of Alex. For this particular event, more than 500 people came out to participate in a 3.5 mile race/walk known as the Tavern Trot. After the run itself, the community continued the celebration together, and when all was said and done had raised over $12,000!

Finally, though I wasn’t there, I heard a lot about a special event in upstate New York on Sunday. Actor Peter Facinelli, who is currently appearing in the Twilight movies, held an autograph signing with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Foundation. Along with his autographs, The Galleria at Crystal Run also allowed us to set up a lemonade stand to raise funds and quench the thirst of the fans in attendance. Speaking of the fans, hundreds, if not thousands showed up for the day. Scheduled to go from 12-5PM, there was still a line at 6PM when the mall was set to close. Luckily, the final fans were allowed to stay for their photos and Peter happily obliged. It was a wonderful day, which raised over $7,000 for ALSF.

Above: Actor Peter Facinelli (Back) with some ALSF staff and supporters.

In total, these three events raised over $30,000 for the Foundation in one weekend! While my husband and I, along with two of our sons, spent several hours in the car this weekend traveling to and attending events, it is nothing compared to what others have done to show their support. We hear a lot in the news these days about how the country is changing, but weekends like this one remind us that no matter what the economic state is, or what personal challenges people face, that the spirit of community remains. Whether that community is a group of Twilight fans coming together to meet one of the actors and in the process supporting a good cause; hundreds of people coming together in our hometown of Windsor to show their support; or a 12-year-old boy who brings an entire community together in honor of his four friends who just happen to be childhood cancer heroes, they all prove that the spirit of this country is very much alive.

We are so very thankful to have the privilege and honor of calling all of these communities supporters of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. They are proving that when we all come together, anything is possible. Alex knew that, and through events like these, we know it too.

Thank you!

- Liz Scott

A Lemonade Trip to Kansas City

Lawrence, KS Hy-Vee Lemonade Stand from June 2009

With September and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month upon us, I am getting out to as many events and speaking engagements as possible to raise the profile of childhood cancer. These events often bring memories of Alex to the surface, allowing me to reflect on the time that has passed, and what I have learned about childhood cancer, and especially life over the passed 10 years. I wanted to share a recent experience with you, a trip to Kansas City, worth reflecting upon.

I went to Kansas City, which is the home to many of ALSF’s greatest supporters, to attend an event entitled Heroes and Halos. The event was held on National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, Saturday, September 12, on the farm of Ken Waldock. Ken, who had come upon a lemonade stand held by one of our volunteers, decided to hold a day of celebration for families of children who have or had cancer. It was a day of fun, entertainment and amazing food that brought together over 300 people in the area who have been affected by the disease.

As always, I was honored to represent the foundation, but this event represented a special situation for me. As you know, I am Alex’s mom, and I have experienced what children with cancer go through firsthand. I have seen the sadness, worry and heartache that accompany us on the journey. It is a journey that is all too familiar to the attendees at the Heroes and Halos event. What this event reminded me of however, is something far removed from that anguish – it’s that for every tear there are many more smiles, for every worry there are many more carefree days, and for each moment that our hearts ache, there are even more moments when it soars. It is sometimes hard to imagine that anything positive can come out of something as awful as childhood cancer. I know that I didn’t believe it when thirteen years ago my daughter Alex spent her first birthday in the ICU instead of at home eating her first slice of birthday cake. In fact, I probably would have had some choice words for anyone who tried to tell me that anything good could come out of my baby’s suffering. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to learn this through my daughter, Alex showed me through the way she lived the next 7 years of her life and the legacy of hope she left behind.

The Heroes and Halos event too taught me that even in the seemingly worst of situations, there are reasons to smile. Like so many of the children present at the event, Alex taught me about helping others and overcoming challenges. She taught me about believing in dreams, even if they seem impossible. She lived life to the fullest each day and made the best of any situation. Living with childhood cancer taught me that life is what you make of it, and that for all the bad in life, it is far better to focus on the good.

The truth of the matter is, there are tens of thousands of children who are battling cancer or have battled cancer with the same determination, grace, and courage that Alex did. I had the immense pleasure of meeting many of them, and their families last weekend. Alex was the spark that started this lemonade movement to find a cure, but these children are the inspiration to continue in her memory. Thank you to everyone in Kansas City for allowing me to not only remember how important the battle against childhood cancer is, but how important it is to appreciate every day too.

- Liz Scott, Alex's Mother

National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? If you didn’t, you’re not alone. While many people are aware of other important months in the calendar year, September flies largely under the radar. However, as the parent of a child who fought this deadly disease, I am not necessarily concerned about raising awareness during this month, but rather with raising awareness all year round.

As you may know, the case for finding a cure for childhood cancer is a compelling one, and one that is easy to sell when you are equipped with the facts. Here’s a good one - childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children under the age of 15 in the United States. It is the second overall killer only behind accidents. If that fact isn’t staggering enough, then how about this one, over 12,000 children in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer this year alone.

It is hard to think about children with cancer, I know this all too well. When you look into the bright and playful eyes of a youngster, you cannot fathom that a sinister invader could be inside their tiny bodies. But it happens, and it happens more often than any of us would like to face. It happened to me, my daughter Alexandra “Alex” Scott was diagnosed with childhood cancer prior to her very first birthday and went on to fight it for the rest of her life.

Since that time, I have seen hundreds, if not thousands of other children struggling through the same fight – the fight to save their lives. Like Alex, these children will face chemotherapy, surgeries, radiation treatments, and in the end, the cancer itself may be smarter than all these treatments put together. However, here is a statistic that sounds better – nearly 80% of children will survive their battle with childhood cancer. What this statistic doesn’t tell you is that long term, if not life long, side effects will follow.

If this doesn’t seem fair, that is because it isn’t. All cancer is horrible, and no one should have to face it, but there is absolutely no greater reason to help find a cure for childhood cancer than that these are children we are talking about. They are meant to live long lives, lives that they deserve. Sure there will be obstacles to overcome, as there is in any life, but cancer shouldn’t be one of them.

Let’s use September to raise the profile of childhood cancer awareness, but let’s also do this year-round. If you have the chance, volunteer at a Ronald McDonald House, or find another way to interact with children who have cancer. They will teach you a lot about life, their spirits and positive attitudes will change the way you look at the world. Let’s change their world too, by taking a stand against childhood cancer, and coming together to find a cure.

- Jay Scott, Alex's Father