Kicking Off Our 10th Anniversary Year

As you may know, 2010 marks 10 years since Alex held her very first front yard lemonade stand. We are hoping that this year will be the biggest yet for the foundation, and last week our family was in Miami for what I think was an appropriate kick off!

Late last year we got an invitation from the NFL to set up a lemonade stand at The Pro Bowl, which would be held on Sunday, January 31, 2010. The Pro Bowl would be a little different this year, held at the same venue as the Super Bowl the week before. At the NFL's request, the concessionaire for the event, Boston Culinary Group, not only agreed to hold a lemonade stand, but took it the next level by suggesting we leave the stand up for the Super Bowl to capture two crowds, two events, and raise the most money! I was amazed that, with all of the planning, hype, and football mania surrounding these two events, that the NFL and Boston Culinary Group would take this on! When we mentioned that this would be the kick off for our 10th anniversary year, they considered it an honor.

Dreaming big, like Alex, my original thoughts were that we would make a big media splash, get players, and other celebrities to come by, with visions of a stand that would surely rival the Super Bowl experience itself. Our family, Jay, myself and Alex’s brothers, planned to be at this important and potentially big event. As the plans started to materialize, I learned to appreciate the sheer magnitude of planning and communicating that it takes to make them such a success. We prepared for our stand, and received confirmation from David Krichavsky, who heads up NFL Community Relations, that he would join us for a celebratory toast that morning. As the stand approached, it became obvious that my big vision was going to be a little more low key, but I looked forward to attending and seeing what might happen!

The day before the Pro Bowl our family went to Sun Life Stadium to bring our banners and finish setting up; we were met with smiling faces and staff willing to help, even as they raced to finish before the big day. It was powerful to see the banners go up at our stand, right in the middle of the event, knowing what some brands and companies go through for that type of real estate during the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.



When the day of the stand arrived, I have to admit I was nervous and not sure what to expect from the staff that was working at the stand. I also worried that our celebratory toast would feel empty without all of the hype I had originally imagined. We arrived, circled for parking, and already I thought that the day wasn’t going well. However, once we arrived at the stand, we were greeted with huge smiles and handshakes. I quickly shared Alex’s story with the staff manning the stand and not 5 minutes later the enthusiastic staff were repeating the story, handing out flyers, and serving lemonade as if they were longtime supporters of the foundation. As noon approached, David from the NFL approached with two football players from the San Francisco 49ers, Takeo Spikes and Patrick Willis, who took time out of their busy day to make a toast with us.



Once again, we shared the story, and then it was time to grab some lemonade. As we raised our glasses, I said a quick “To a cure within the next 10 years.” And so it went off without a lot of fuss, and I couldn't help but think that Alex would have loved to be there. Always humble and a little shy, she enjoyed meeting people who just wanted to help. She didn't expect lots of attention and didn't need it to make a connection with people. She just needed people who cared, took the time to stop and help, and of course lemonade!

I look forward to hearing about the Super Bowl stand this weekend and I will watch the game, knowing that Alex had a small presence there and more importantly, that pediatric cancer was acknowledged at one of the most famous sporting events in the world.

A special thanks to Mary and David from the NFL, and Tom and the entire crew from Boston Culinary Group, as well as Country Time Lemonade for sending enough lemonade to supply thousands of cups. For your support ~ here's to a cure in 10 years.

- Liz Scott, Alex's Mom