Ella’s Lemonade Stand in Greenlawn Gets Special Visitor

A Huntington family came to 9-year-old Ella Pastorelli’s Lemonade Stand in Greenlawn Sunday to share a special connection with the young girl after hearing about her event on the Huntington Patch.

Like Ella, the young couple’s child was born with a cleft lip. The 8-month-old boy had his bilateral cleft lip and cleft palate repaired just four months ago and will have his soft palate repaired next month.

After hearing about Ella’s 9th annual event, the couple stopped by with their baby boy to meet a family who went through the same experience.

In all, Ella’s Lemonade Stand raised $19,000 for the organization Smile Train, which helps fund corrective cleft lip surgeries for children in developing countries who do not have the opportunity to get this necessary procedure.

Ella has raised $126,475 over the years, which is enough for about 505 surgeries, through her lemonade stand. The minimum cost to provide a full surgery for a child is $250, according to Smile Train.

Children with unrepaired clefts can become ostracized by their communities and can oftentimes be unable to attend school, get a job, or get married. Thanks to Ella Lemonade Stand, they will have a life with more opportunities.

Images via Smile Train