Teens Sell Lemonade to Support Childhood Cancer Research

By: Rowena Li - Email

Updated: Mon 7:30 AM, Sep 24, 2012

"One cup of lemonade at a time," that's the motto of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, the beneficiary of a lemonade stand in front of the Grand Island Hy-Vee on Sunday.

The Grand Island Community Youth Council (CYC) got back to the basics with this fundraiser, which helps support childhood cancer research.

"We figured it was the best way to give back to the community and get our voice out there and have kids help out other kids in the same way Alex did," said CYC member Josh Sugita.

The fundraiser is named after a young cancer patient who sold lemonade to raise money to help find a cure for others like herself. Alex Scott died in 2004 at the age of eight, but her legacy carries on. Thousands around the nation have raised more than $55 million in her name, allowing for more than 250 grants to research childhood cancers.

The CYC says they chose Alex's cause after hearing her inspiring story.

"A lot of it is awareness because everybody is trying to find different ways to help out with cancer and such, so many other people will be encouraged to do it at some point. It's not a huge thing, you don't have to do a lot, it's just a small lemonade stand," says Sugita.

And it's a cause that resonates with the community.

"We've had people come up and it's too cold for lemonade, but they just give us money anyway," says CYC member and event organizer Emma Kreutzer.

The group aimed to raise $400, and the community helped them exceed that goal with total proceeds of $633.