On Sunday, June 9th, my family and I – with the incredible help of friends and big-hearted neighbors – hosted our first lemonade stand for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation in our hometown of Coronado, Calif., during the organization’s annual National Lemonade Days initiative. Our “Coronado Loves Connor” stand was in loving memory of Connor Carvajal, a Coronado first grader who lost his life to cancer just last year.
Here’s the press release with all the details about the stand we hosted, and I’ve included a bunch of photos below. But now, the story. We hosted our stand on a Sunday afternoon across the street from Spreckels Park, where Coronado residents – including us! – religiously gather to enjoy the weekly summer concert series. We offered picnic packs, sweet treat packs, liters of lemonade, and your standard single cups (which came complete with a homemade cookie, baked and donated by generous community friends) to the delight of many concertgoers. The kids ran the “registers” and were proud to represent the cause.
It truly was an amazing experience, with value far beyond the $1,231 check we happily sent to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Yes, of course we were proud to have raised a sizable amount in just a few hours, but it was more than the money. That day, my house served as volunteer central – family, friends, and neighbors arriving with smiles wide, plates of cookies in hand, and a willingness to help (prepare supplies, pack up bags, ready the stand, whatever we needed). I was in awe of how our community came together to support the stand and the cause, and I am truly grateful for the awareness and togetherness that resulted from our efforts.
Immensely appreciative of our efforts, Connor’s mom Linda helped us throughout the day and generously shared a picture of sweet Connor to display at the stand. Linda connected with the Rissolo family who lost their son, Lorenzo “Enzo” Rissolo, to cancer in 2004 at only 16 months old. Back in May, I joined the Rissolo family in Balboa Park to support their ninth lemonade stand for the cause. And now, they were there to support ours. Needless to say, emotions ran high that day.
My thanks and gratitude again to family, friends, and the Coronado community for supporting this incredible cause. What a special day – one I will soon not forget.
Thanks also to eCoronado, Mom’s Guide to San Diego, Coronado Patch, Coronado Eagle and Journal, and San Diego Living for sharing the story.
About Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation
and National Lemonade Days
A nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (AlexsLemonade.org) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). The National Lemonade Days initiative began in 2004 when Alex, who was fighting childhood cancer herself, set a goal of raising $1 million for research. She invited volunteers across the country to host lemonade stands to help her reach the ambitious goal. Through the help of these volunteers, Alex would reach her goal before losing her life to the disease in August of that year. Each June, the weekend before Father’s Day, Alex’s mission of raising $1 million continues through National Lemonade Days, once again inviting supporters everywhere to contribute to a cure. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $60 million toward fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 300 pediatric cancer research projects nationally.
For more information on
National Lemonade Days, visit: www.AlexsLemonade.org/LemonadeDays.