Announcing Our 2nd Annual Alex's Lemonade Stand

I am pleased to announce that our family will be hosting our 2nd Annual Alex's Lemonade Stand on Monday, September 6 at the Oakfield Community Celebration Day (formerly known as Labor Daze).





There is a lot of work to do! Yes, planning the Lemonade Stand is a lot of work, but that is not what I'm talking about! There is a lot of work to do in the world of pediatric cancer. Another year has gone by...and with that year, another 13, 140 children and adolescents were diagnosed with cancer in our country. You would not believe how many people I talk to who have no idea that children can get cancer. We know about lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and many other adult forms of cancer that devastate so many in our world.

But so many don't know about pediatric cancer. That is one of the reasons pediatric cancer remains underfunded. While other cancers are achieving cure rates of up to 90%, some parents are told that their child has a form of cancer, like Neuroblastoma, with a 50% chance of survival. Organizations like the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation support families affected by pediatric cancer, promote awareness, and most importantly fund research grants aimed at improving the quality of life for children with cancer and for finding a cure!





These children have faces. Our child is one of those faces. We are so grateful that Brady had a treatable form of cancer and responded well to that treatment, but we know of countless others whose children have fought their cancer until their last breath.





Children like beautiful Sara





So, to my friends, my family, and my community...I ask you to join the Williams Family in doing a small act with great love. Join us in raising money to support Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation on Monday, September 6th.





There are many ways to help!!!


1. We need volunteers to work at our stand. Shifts will be in 2 hour increments starting with setup from 8am-10am and continuing throughout the day until 8pm.





2. We will be selling lemon baked goods in addition to our wonderful lemonade! To cover the expenses of the lemonade, supplies, and ingredients for our baked goods, we are looking for donations of WalMart gift cards in any amount. I'm estimating that we will need approximately $200 in donations for supplies, although this number may increase as I continue to plan:)

**I received an email this morning from a wonderfully generous individual who has offered to donate $200 in WalMart giftcards. For now, this is no longer an area of need.


3. In order to comply with the guidelines of Genesee County Health Department, we need to do our preparation of baked goods differently this year. I'm organizing a team of bakers to work with me on Sunday September 5th from 1-7pm at my church to bake and package all of the items that we will sell. I plan on selling quantities of lemon cookies, lemon bars, and mini loaves of lemon bread. If you are interested in being a part of one of my baking teams, that is another area in which you can help! You do not have to commit the entire day of baking. I will have more of an idea of time slots for Sept 6th as I continue planning.





There you have it! If you are interested in helping in any of the three areas listed above, please email me directly at mwilliams91@rochester.rr.com or leave a comment in the comments section (please provide your name and email address).





Let's make our stand a success just as it was last year! Thank you so very much for supporting families just like ours:)