Country Day School Students Help Kids With Cancer

A simple online search led to a Valentine's Day fundraiser. Eight children in an after school book club at checked the Internet for a recipe to make lemonade. In their research they came across the story of Alex's Lemonade Stand and they were inspired to hold their own lemonade stand fundraiser.

The Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation originated from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott. In 2000, the four-year-old decided she wanted to have a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Although Alex passed away in 2004, the foundation with her name has evolved into a national movement to fund cancer research.

"It was nice of her to help other people because she had cancer, too. After we read about her, we decided we wanted to help, too," said fourth-grader Monica.

The children labeled their effort "Sweet Treats." They decided to serve homemade lemonade and brownies on Valentine's Day to raise money for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. They baked the brownies and made the lemonade from scratch. They promoted the fundraiser at school.

Community service is part of the day school's mission. Other service projects include visiting a retirement home each month, participating in a charity walk-a-thon and helping charities that work with children, said Reading Specialist, Jennifer Williams who worked with the book group.