In remembrance of one of our heroes...

We were saddened to learn this week that one of our childhood cancer heroes, Matthew Schechter passed away. Matt was a lemonade stand host and most recently a volunteer at our annual gala, The Lemon Ball.

Matt was a true hero. We are reminded especially this week that the work of our supporters, volunteers, grantees, and everyone fighting for a cure for kids with cancer really does matter, in big and small ways, to these kids and their families. They are why we are here.

This week’s blog is dedicated to all the children who have faced and will face childhood cancer in their lifetime, and to our continuing promise of working toward the day when cures become reality.

>> Read Matt’s story, as posted to our website in 2009.

Kids Giving Back

The familiar and founding principle of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. However, the foundation also operates under another especially important principle - that everyone, no matter how young or old, is capable of making a difference – including kids. We believe in kids helping kids, and since inception have seen the amazing spirit of kids who give back.

For us, this dates back to our own 4-year-old daughter Alex, who after battling cancer for nearly her entire life set out to hold a lemonade stand to help all kids with cancer. It was through Alex’s giving spirit and wild determination that she was so successful and raised over $1 million before passing away at the age of 8. Alex’s efforts were successful and we are so happy that Alex had a part in inspiring other children to follow in her footsteps by holding stands of their own. We also know that children are naturally inspired to be moved to do something good for others - they are moved by seeing others in need, they set their own goals, and they believe they can reach them!

We have seen this recently in the face of natural disaster. Often times the stories that make the news are those of celebrities banding together to fundraise for disaster relief. However, there is another type of story that often makes it to the airwaves because of its inspirational value– the story of children who have seen disaster on TV and want to do something about it. These children often use the resources they have at hand – sometimes it’s a lemonade stand (we love this!), sometimes it’s asking the local fire department to help with a coin drive, or other times it’s even arranging a fundraising day at school to help. There is no shortage of creative fundraising ideas when it comes to kids, and if you have ever had a child who wants to do something – you know you won’t hear the end of it until they do. This was true with Alex, when she got the idea into her head that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money for cancer, she didn’t stop talking about it until the day the stand arrived. Even then, she couldn’t stop talking about how great it was and how she couldn’t wait to have another one!

Perhaps we didn’t realize it until then, but we realize it now – kids are so important and vocal when it comes to giving back and making a difference. From 4-year-olds all the way through college students, like those at Penn State who created THON, kids are an imperative part of the change, and we are so thankful to count them as such an important part of our foundation. Thank you to all the kids in the world who are making a difference, you are the future, and we truly wouldn’t be here with out you.

Check out some other organizations started by kids that are making a difference on idealist.org.

- Liz & Jay Scott, Alex's parents

The Big East Tournament

If you read last week’s blog, you may know that Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has had the immense honor of hosting a lemonade stand at The Big East Tournament this week. The Big East Tournament is the longest running conference tournament at any one site in all of college basketball, and determines the conference champion. In addition, the winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Due to our location, many of our employees, ourselves included, are fans of the teams involved. The teams represented by the employees in our office include: UConn, Syracuse, Villanova, Seton Hall and more. So needless to say, we were thrilled to count The Big East Tournament among our 10 high profile stands for 2010.

We should also mention that we owe our presence at this tournament to our founding sponsor Volvo.



The excitement for the 16 teams involved in the tournament, and for our staff at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, began on Tuesday, March 9. As the first day’s games got underway, our lemonade stand officially opened for business. We were lucky enough to have a prime piece of real estate directly outside of Madison Square Garden’s main entrance, nearly every fan passed by on their way to see the tournament action. While we did certainly see some familiar faces, including Villanova’s Tri Delta sorority members, Alex’s Lemonade Stand also garnered some new fans.



As the games continued, and we drew closer to the championship, the lemonade stand returned to MSG on Thursday and Friday. We were treated to many performances by school cheerleading squads and bands – the school spirit was definitely palpable. Many of the squads stopped by the lemonade stand for refreshments, photos and to learn more about Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Overall the week was a huge success not only in funds, but also in awareness raised, and of course on Saturday one team will solidify their place as the best of the Big East!

What a wonderful experience for everyone on the staff, and we owe a big thank you to Volvo. Here’s hoping that we’ll be back for more college hoops action next year!

- Jay Scott, Alex's Dad

Athletes Help Alex’s

Here at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer we love our lemonade stands. We also love the many other creative ways that our volunteers choose to support us. Something we have seen become an increasing trend over the years is the support of athletes and sporting events in the battle against childhood cancer. Athletes from all sporting arenas and all skill levels support ALSF, whether they are simply participating in an annual softball tournament or taking us along with them to the pinnacle of their sport (ie. the Super Bowl). We are so amazed by their athleticism and dedication to the cause that we thought it was only natural to create a special campaign for them.

Hence, Team Lemon was born! Team Lemon gives athletes of all skill levels, including those who are striving to become athletes, a way to raise funds and awareness for ALSF while achieving their athletic goals. One example of this is a group of five cousins who decided to take part in the Mardi Gras Rock and Roll Marathon in New Orleans this year. They knew that running a marathon would be physically and mentally demanding, but felt it was an attainable challenge. So while they were training, they decided it would be appropriate to also raise funds for children who are on a much more demanding path as they make their way through their cancer treatments. With young cancer fighters as their motivation, these cousins finished the race in New Orleans last weekend, and raised nearly $8,000 for ALSF in the process!

When we think back over the history of ALSF, there have been so many athletes who have contributed along the way. In 2005, there was thoroughbred race horse Afleet Alex who joined the fight against childhood cancer not long after we lost our own Alex. Afleet Alex had a remarkable spirit, and showed us at the Preakness, that even after stumbling, you can recover, give it your all, and win the race. Then last year another amazing sports figure presented himself to the foundation, Kenny Herriot, a world champion wheelchair athlete, cycled across the US to raise funds and awareness for ALSF. What an inspirational person Kenny is, though he experienced several hurdles during his cross country trek, he did not give up and finished his amazing race for kids with cancer.

Finally, this year as we have entered the first months of our 10th Anniversary Year, more athletes and venues have been showing their support. First it was the NFL allowing us to set up lemonade stands at the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, and now the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City will welcome a lemonade stand! We cannot begin to tell you how inspired we have been by all the athletes who have ever supported ALSF, and so we decided it was time to do something about it! So, after a decade (or two!) of not running or exercising regularly, and with encouragement from my co-workers and Jay, I will be running in the 10-mile Broad Street Run on Sunday, May 2, 2010. Jay has generously agreed to run the race as well and we have already begun training. Although it seems daunting at times, we look forward to joining the ranks of the many athletes who have supported Alex’s Lemonade Stand and kids with cancer over the years. Thank you for your continued dedication, and for inspiring us to become official members of Team Lemon.

- Liz Scott, Alex's Mom