Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand To Close After Final Fundraiser

STONY BROOK, NY — A college-bound brother and sister duo will be packing up the lemonade stand that they have run each summer for nine years, raising money for Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and the Child Life program, after one final run on Monday.

Joseph and Maddie Mastriano are closing down the Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand, which has raised $122,000 over the years, but they are hoping to go out on a high note with the last in-person lemonade stand at Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School in Stony Brook.

The siblings first decided to make lemonade and sell it outside their home with friends in 2012, thinking that would split the money, but their mom suggested donating the funds to charity and they settled on Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, where the money is used to help fund projects that help children struggling with illness.

“We were lucky to have a summer, while there are some kids who are sick, and don't have that chance,” Maddie stated in a news release. “ We thought donating to the Child’s Life program would be a nice way to let them know we are thinking of them and give them a chance to do everyday activities outside the four walls of the hospital.”

But what started as a small lemonade stand outside their home, has morphed into a summer tradition with the community rallying around the siblings in support. Aside from the fundraising, the lemonade stand has afforded over 1,000 students the opportunity to earn over 9,000 hours of community service.

One hundred and fifty volunteers from grades K-12 participated in the lemonade stand in 2020 alone, according to a new release.

“It's been so amazing to see people from across the island come together to support the Children’s hospital and support our efforts to raise money for the Child Life program,” Joseph stated in the release.

Maddie, who will begin her senior year at Loyola University in Maryland, and Joseph will soon begin attending Stony Brook University this fall.

Dr. Carolyn Milana, Chair, Department of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief; Stony Brook Children’s Hospital; Carol Gomes, Chief Executive Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital; and Joan Alpers, Director Child Life Services, along with members of the Child Life team, recently met with the Mastrianos to honor them for their efforts to help children at the hospital.

Alpers feted Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand for starting "small," describing it as an affair that was “organized by two preteens,” but “quickly escalated into a local fixture.”

“Every event is crafted, colorful, energetic and attracts community members, kids, teens, and grownups, to come out and join the giving,'' Alpers stated. “I know this is the last lemonade stand event, but I have a feeling this could be a lemonade movement that inspires another set of young people to find a new way to do a good thing for their hospital and community.”

The lemonade stand will be open from 3 to 7 p.m.

There will be a virtual live stream to follow on the Twitch app (on the "Impulse912_" channel) from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. To donate, visit the GoFundMe page.