Student Contributor -S. Hansen
Alex was a diagnosed with cancer right before her first birthday and decided to create her own lemonade stand when she was four, raising money to help doctors find a cure for childhood cancer. After she passed at the age of eight, her parents founded the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which is an organization dedicated to impacting children who are fighting cancer. Alex’s Lemonade Stand raises money to fund childhood cancer research, raise awareness, provide support to families, and empower everyone to stand with them in fighting childhood cancer.
Alex started her first lemonade stand in 2000 and the foundation has raised more than $200 million dollars since, as it is one of the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the U.S. and Canada. The money raised by this organization has funded over 1,000 research projects at close to 150 institutions and has been used to create a travel program which allows families who have children receiving treatment to be supported. The organization was founded by parents who know how painful and difficult it can be for families to have a child with cancer. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has a clear understanding of the resources needed and how impactful funded research can be for better treatments and more cures, as it specifically uses its money to do so.
The Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has multiple opportunities for schools to get involved. On the organization’s website, there are specific ways Pre-K-8th grade levels can partner with the foundation. The events at the Pre-K-8 level include holding your own lemonade stand, planning a kickball game, hosting a walk-a-thon, collecting change, holding an online fundraiser, or participating in the June lemonade wars. Each fundraiser is outlined and clear with steps and information on how schools can participate in the event. The organization also has a variety of classroom lesson plans, even ones aligned with Common Core State Standards. There is also the "Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand" book which can be requested and read aloud and discussed as a class. There are a variety of great resource to use if you are interested in partnering with the foundation as a teacher, as the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation aims for school involvement.
