The Power is in your hands!

The truth is that Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation would not exist without the thousands of volunteers across the country (and world!) that host lemonade stands each year. We utilize the money that these volunteers raise to fund cutting-edge research toward finding better treatments and cures for all kids affected by cancer. Usually deciding where our funds go is quite a process (as it should be since we want to fund the best and most promising research). It includes a scientific advisory board, reviewers, scoring, conference calls and much more to narrow the field to the top candidates! We will soon be announcing our 2010 grant recipients after this process, but we also know that there is a lot more we can do to help the cause. In addition to research grants, there is also a great need for smaller funding for research supplies and equipment as well as items to support families. With so many great choices for ways to help, we thought - why not put some of the power to decide where the funds go in the hands of our volunteers?

So we did just that, and launched the first ever ALSF Fundraiser voting project. From April 8 – April 13, all volunteers who raised funds for the foundation in 2009 were given the opportunity to vote on how they wanted $25,000 to be allocated. The vote included 10 different projects, and each volunteer was given one vote to decide where they wanted their funds to go. The 10 projects were: 1) Incubator to process tumor samples; 2) Centrifuge for PCR; 3) Send one promising childhood cancer researcher to an international educational conference 4) Trk inhibitor for use in nanoparticle pilot experiments; 5) New toys, DVDs and other items to help keep kids' minds from thinking about treatment while hospitalized; 6) Meal vouchers for childhood cancer families spending the day in the outpatient clinic; 7) PCR Machine; 8) Eppendorf Robot Attachment; 9) Laboratory Shaker; 10) Epson scanner. (For full project descriptions, click here!)

We are pleased to say that the response was overwhelming and we received a significant amount of votes. We are including the results of the poll below, and felt that this provided us with a great deal of insight into what our supporters deem important. We truly feel like our supporters are our family, and we hope that they will feel like they are even more a part of the family after this vote! We hope to do it again in 2011, but until then, here’s where the $25,000 will go:



- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation