Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

Jay Scott: A Dpg

2013-03-21T16:02:00.001-04:00

Avenging Childhood Cancer Abroad

2013-03-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

We couldn’t wait to share this story about the impact that your support of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation is making not just for kids with cancer in the U.S., but as far away as Kenya. Not only does it show how a simple test can literally save the lives of children, but also demonstrates the disparity of care between children with cancer in the U.S. and those in the developing world.

Nearly 10 million children live in western Kenya, and based on the incidence of leukemia, 250 children would be expected to develop leukemia there each year. However, Dr. Terry Vik of the University of Indiana School of Medicine and his team believe that many children are never diagnosed with leukemia because of the lack of proper diagnostic testing, and die without ever having a chance to receive curative therapy. Dr. Vik was awarded an ALSF Epidemiology Grant in which he proposed to increase the detection rate of leukemia by using a simple, widely available and standard procedure used to diagnose malaria.

The project has only been underway for 8 months, and the results are pretty astounding – Dr. Vik recently sent us the update below:

Terry Vik, MD
ALSF Epidemiology Grantee

“Our epidemiology project in Kenya, funded by ALSF, to identify cases of leukemia, has been running for 8 months now. We have been collecting slides of blood, stained to detect malaria in children, for about 4 months so far. When I traveled to Eldoret, Kenya to participate in a childhood cancer conference in January, I met with our technician to train him to read those malaria slides for the possible presence of leukemia. Already in just reviewing the first 3,000 slides (of our planned 30,000) we have 5 cases that are highly suspicious for leukemia. The results are more striking than I had imagined. We are in the process of confirming those cases and will be collecting more cases in the coming year.

The project is already developing some ‘side effects.’ The lab staff of the small district hospital we are based in is already learning how to detect leukemia on their own by examining slides in real time. On our team's last visit, one of our Co-investigators, Dr. Skiles, was asked to see a young girl with low blood counts in the hospital ward. The girl had signs of leukemia, but the hospital didn't have the capability to do a bone marrow test to confirm the suspected leukemia diagnosis. Dr. Skiles bundled her and her mother up in the study vehicle they had used for the visit and brought her back to Eldoret, about 50 miles away, to complete the diagnostic workup and begin treatment for her leukemia! This is exactly the type of patient, we proposed in our study, who is lingering in a local hospital and eventually dying without a diagnosis. For this patient, the 'side effect' of this study made a huge difference -- she is now receiving treatment for ALL and is alive and doing great. The ALSF funds are allowing us to teach the Kenyans that leukemia exists and can be diagnosed and treated early, making a difference in these children's lives.”

Pretty amazing, right? This is what you’re helping to make possible through your support of ALSF. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

5 Reasons to Take a Stand June 7, 8 or 9

2013-03-01T11:15:00.001-05:00

Mix. Pour. Find a Cure.

The countdown is officially on...in a mere 100 days, it will be National Lemonade Days 2013 (June 7-9) weekend. Of course we're biased, but being a part of National Lemonade Days goes beyond simply raising money at a lemonade stand. You become part of our lemonade crusade of sorts joining thousands of people just like you from across the country who hold stands during this weekend of hope. Don't get us wrong, we appreciate all of our supporters who hold stands and events at any time of the year, but check out our top 5 list below of why you should sign up to hold a stand during National Lemonade Days, as well as a new ALSF video demonstrating how your support helps. Thank you!

5 Reasons to Hold a National Lemonade Days Stand:

Be like Alex! This weekend is dedicated to the time of year that Alex always held her annual lemonade stand.
Exclusive lemonade recipes from famous chefs! Kid-friendly recipes from top chefs will be included in all Lemonade Days kits offered to everyone who registers to hold a stand during June 7-9, 2013.
Bragging rights. You can say that you were part of a national fundraiser that is expected to raise more than $1 million in just 3 days. Not too shabby...
Represent your state. We had all 50 states participate last year; make sure your state is part of the effort.
And the most important reason of all….Help kids with cancer.

What is the money that you raise doing?
Watch our new video below to find out:

Jay Scott: Words of Wisdom From Alex, 'Never Give Up'

2013-02-14T10:45:00.000-05:00

Alex and her baby brother Joey

As my family, friends and staff can attest, I've told stories of Alex's wisdom over the years. These stories have inspired many of us to work harder, whether it is to achieve Alex's mission of a cure for all kids with cancer, or simply to improve our own lives. I thought, maybe now was the time to share these stories with all of you, and to see if they could have a larger impact toward making a difference, whether it be big or small. So, this is the first in a series of occasional updates that will speak directly to lessons I learned from my daughter Alex. If you haven't had the pleasure of having your life graced with children yet, you will come to find that we learn so many of life's lessons from our children. So although I'll keep a few to myself, I'm proud to share some important lessons that I learned from Alex that stand out in my mind.

It was in the year 2003 that my wife Liz and I welcomed our fourth child, a son Joey. By the time Joey was born, Liz and I had made the mistake of getting rid of the majority of our baby items. What can I say, our third child had been born four years earlier and we thought that was likely the last. Thankfully, a family member was nice enough to gift us with a used baby swing that had proven to be a lifesaver for their infant. This was a very nice and generous gift, except for one very small thing -- the swing arrived without any instructions. For those of you that have tried to put baby equipment together without any instructions, it is not a simple task, not to mention that this particular swing was a top of the line model. The swing had so many parts, screws, and pieces to it, and I wanted to be sure if was safely constructed considering we would be putting a very precious piece of cargo in the swing, our newborn baby. I spent what felt like an eternity trying to put this swing together and I simply could not figure it out, I didn't even know where to begin. These failed assembly attempts were anything but fun and became increasingly filled with cursing, expletives, pounding on the floor and sounds of disgust emanating from me. It was not the shining moment of triumph I had hoped for.

Finally, fed up, I went downstairs to tell my wife Liz who was working in the kitchen that this was impossible and that the swing would be useless for our purposes. I expressed my frustration and told her that we should throw the swing in the trash and go buy a new one... complete with instructions! Liz didn't disagree, I think she knew it was not the time, but instead allowed me to cool off in the kitchen for a while.

Sometime later, whether it was 15 minutes or half an hour I'm not sure, our daughter Alex joined us in the kitchen. She said something I was not expecting, "I just need a screwdriver to tighten up a few screws and the swing is done." To say that I was amazed is an understatement, astonished maybe, but I had to know how she had done it. I of course asked how she managed to put the swing together.

Alex looked at me with a bit of a grin, but very seriously and said, "You should never give up, it's never good to give up." I have never heard a wiser or truer statement; instead of becoming frustrated and increasingly angry, Alex became increasingly more determined. Not only did she prove this by putting together the baby swing, but through fighting her cancer and creating a movement to help others. She never gave up, and to this day, when I'm having a hard time, I think of this moment. It could teach us all something about fighting childhood cancer, but more than anything, about how we live our lives. - Jay Scott

Alex and me in 2004.

Originally posted on The Huffington Post on February 7, 2013.

Jay Scott: A New Year's Resolution: "Work Harder, Do More"

2013-01-25T11:44:00.001-05:00

I feel compelled to start off this blog by saying, Happy New Year! This is my first entry of 2013, and I will admit that my mood over the past few weeks has been one of reflection. 2012 was a transformative year in my life for several reasons, both personal and professional, and one that I feel had the potential to change the trajectory of where research against childhood cancer is headed.

Firstly, though, I wanted to share a tiny piece of personal information, which is not something I'm always comfortable with. Sure, there are my personal fitness goals, my Grand Canyon trek to raise awareness for childhood cancer, and the story of my daughter Alexandra "Alex" Scott. However, I am also the proud dad to three boys as well, and my eldest son, Patrick, headed off to college in the fall of 2012. I couldn't be prouder of him as he went off to attend Harvard, and at the same time I couldn't help but think how eye-opening having a child leave the house is. It reminded me that time is fleeting and that life moves fast for all of us, but most especially for children battling cancer and for the researchers who are working day and night to save their lives. We all know it, funding is critical to finding cures, and now when the National Institutes of Health's (NIH's) funding is at a relative low, promising researchers are at risk.

As a foundation, we have always been aware of the lack of funding for childhood cancer research, but in 2012, at a critical impasse, we realized it was possible for us to be a lifeline for the researchers who were so close to obtaining NIH funding. In the early months of last year, we introduced a category of grants to literally keep the work of researchers alive whose projects were in jeopardy due to the decreased funding. Called Bridge Grants (get it, bridging the gap between funding?) they are intended to keep projects on track while they reapply for NIH funding. The funding would last for only one year, at which time the researchers would reapply and ideally be funded by the NIH. Sounds like a good plan, right?

As the saying goes, the best laid plans often go awry... but in this case, instead, the Bridge Grant did exactly what was intended. We were pleased to learn late last year that one of our Bridge Grant awardees, Dr. Tom Look of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received the R01 award from the NIH for his project. If you don't know what the R01 award is, don't worry -- the bottom line is that Dr. Look's research will go on and will receive the large scale funding necessary to move it toward better treatments and cures. Dr. Look's project examines why first-line therapy for children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) continues to fail in approximately 25 percent of those diagnosed. These T-ALL patients with failed treatments are left with a poor prognosis, so Look will examine why.

Presenting Dr. Look with his Bridge Grant funding.

Success is sweet, but as Alex would say, "work harder, do more." So, that's exactly what we are doing. ALSF will fund more Bridge Grants in 2013, and add a new category, Springboard Grants. Similar to Bridge, these grants are designed to jump-start new projects with high impact potential while other funding is sought.

So what does this have to do with the new year, you ask? Simply put, in the last weeks of 2012 and the beginning of this year, we all reflect on what was and what might have been, what we accomplished and what we could have done better. We know that we are pushing to make strides in the battle against childhood cancer, filling the gaps in research, and we also know, that there is so much more ahead. So, my new year's resolution is to follow the advice of my daughter Alex, and I hope you will join me:

"Work harder, do more." - Jay Scott

Originally posted on the Huffington Post's Impact Blog on January 22, 2013.

Liz Scott: Happy Birthday Alex – Love, Mom

2013-01-18T12:22:00.002-05:00

Alex at her 8th birthday party, January 2004.

Today is Alex’s birthday, she would have turned 17-years-old. Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend her being a teenager. When she passed away at the age of 8, she was already mature well beyond her years so it kills me that I’m not able to see the young woman she would have evolved into over these past 9 years. I often wonder would she still enjoy designing fashions and be looking at design schools upon her impending graduation from high school, how she would be handling dating with three protective brothers (not to mention a very protective father!), and would she still dream of visiting France someday. But, most of all I wonder what she would think about the Foundation that she started and the inspiration that she has given to so many people young and old, across the country and even around the world.

We recently celebrated Alex’s inspiration at our annual Lemon Ball gala last Saturday, January 12. I guess in a way it’s almost an unofficial birthday party for Alex. Although we celebrate the Foundation’s achievements and honor some incredible supporters, it’s basically a party to honor what Alex started in our front yard almost 13 years ago.

Although all of our past Lemon Ball’s have been amazing – this year was perhaps one of the best yet in my opinion. This year, we featured several of our childhood cancer heroes throughout the evening to help show our supporters the incredible difference they’re making in these kids’ lives with their support of ALSF. Although we often say that Alex is the face of the Foundation, she’s just one of them – it’s really each and every child who has ever been diagnosed with cancer. For anyone who attended The Lemon Ball I think they would agree that these heroes stole the show. Don’t get me wrong – our honorees were exceptional and incredibly profound, but having these kids on hand who have battled or are still battling this deadly disease helped bring everything full circle.

Hope Bertelsen and the Crystal Cup award honorees

Hero Tony Salerno ready to present

There was 22-year-old Hope Bertelsen who has been fighting cancer for more than 10 years and presented the Alex Scott Crystal Cup award to Jeff Benjamin, Jeff Michaud and Marc Vetri of the Vetri Family of Restaurants and blew away my presentation to this amazing trio who started The Great Chefs Event. Also 9-year-old Tony Salerno who is in remission from neuroblastoma (the same kind of cancer Alex had) presented The Stand Host of the Year award to The Smith Family of Spring Lake, NJ proclaiming he was “New Jersey Strong” just like them. And of course, the hilarious Cole Fitzgerald who was in his glory up on stage presenting Paige and Mark Walsh of Kansas City with the Volunteers of the Year award. Not to mention all of the heroes who helped make the silent auction even more fun and inspiring by "hosting" different tables of items. If you want to get an idea for what I'm referring to, check out our Facebook page for a bunch of great photos from the event and our website to see a video clip of Tony and Cole pre-empting the Fund a Cure portion of the evening where our generous guests raised more than $100,000 in a matter of minutes for a neuroblastoma research grant!

Cole Fitzgerald putting on a show

Thanks to everyone’s support, we raised more than $825,000 at The Lemon Ball, which will do an unbelievable amount of good in our fight against childhood cancer. I’m pretty sure this would top any birthday present that we could ever give to Alex, so from the bottom of my heart – thank you. And Alex – Happy Birthday, today and every day we celebrate you. - Love, Mom

Off the Couch...On to Cures!

2013-01-11T14:13:00.000-05:00

Does your New Year’s resolution involve exercise or supporting ALSF in 2013? You can do both with Team Lemon’s new Couch to 5K program! All you need to do is sign up for a 5K in your area and then join Team Lemon for that 5K. We’ll provide you with a 8-week Couch to 5K training plan designed by our Team Lemon coach, your own fundraising webpage, a Team Lemon yellow t-shirt for race day and more! There is no fundraising minimum required to participate and no fees associated with joining Team Lemon. Reach your goals and help kids with cancer! Find out more about Team Lemon's Couch to 5K.

Make it a family affair! Read the entry below to see how Leah Finnegan encouraged her husband and two sons to complete a 5K as a family.

Sweat, Tears and Lemonade
by Leah Finnegan

Leah Finnegan is an oncology marketing director at GlaxoSmithKline. She participated in the GSK PULSE program where she was given a full time, six month assignment at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation as a programs outcomes evaluator. During her tenure she has developed outcomes measures for the ALSF medical research grants and completed the first formal evaluation of the grant programs.

When I started my six month volunteer assignment at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, my sons Max (age 10) and David (age 7) were very curious about Alex and her lemonade stand. I would come home in the evenings and over dinner share stories I had learned about the Foundation. As the boys learned more, they were eager to get involved. Coincidentally, I had just heard about The Lemon Run, the Foundation’s annual 5K fundraising event. The stars aligned, and one evening we decided that we would run our first 5K as a family.

Although my husband Brian and I were casual runners (well Brian had actually completed a marathon a few years earlier so I guess you can’t really consider that “casual”) the two of us did not routinely run together and we certainly never ran with the boys. We decided that if we were really going to ask our family, friends, and colleagues to donate to our team - The Finnegan Family Runs - we needed to take the challenge seriously and make sure we could actually complete a 5K.

We trained once a week with an early morning weekend run. The first few times, someone always cried. My coaching style ran the gamut - I tried positive reinforcement, “come on, you can do it!” as well as tough love, “don’t you dare stop running until we get to the next block!”

Over the course of a couple months, Max grew stronger but David suffered through repeated illnesses (sinus infection, ear infection, walking pneumonia- ugh!). Our weekend training runs became dicey- David would start out strong but quickly start coughing and wheezing. I flip-flopped between trying to encourage him to push through it and feeling terribly guilty about even lacing up our sneakers that morning.

And then the big day arrived. It was a beautiful, blue skied Sunday morning in November. When we arrived at the race site, the energy was palpable and the sea of yellow (yellow shirts, yellow banners, yellow tu-tus!) was beautiful. We were all in high spirits and ready to run.

And run we did! Although we had NEVER before run over a mile without taking a bit of a walking break, we breezed passed the 1 mile marker in stride. Brian and Max stayed a bit ahead of David and me but always well within our sight. As we pushed closer to 2 miles, I could hear David muttering to himself, giving himself the pep talk I had so frequently resorted to giving. Despite my assurance that it would be OK to take a break and walk, David soldiered on, red-faced and sweaty, but determined to keep running.

Near the end of the race the boys surged forward with a last minute energy burst. Max finished strong, but David seemed to use his final bit of energy and nearly collapsed with the finish line still out of sight. He started to cry and I heard the familiar, “I can’t do it,” whine pass from his lips. “Yes you can,” I assured him, and grabbing his hand, I encouraged, cajoled and sweet- talked his legs into continuing for just a few minutes more. And just that quickly, we crossed the finished line and went from being a family who TRAINED for a 5K run to a family who COMPLETED a 5K run.

The run was a huge success. Thanks to the generosity of our family, friends and colleagues, our family raised close to $5,000. In total the Lemon Run raised more than $200,000! This money will be used to fund critical research into better treatments for children with cancer.

The run was also a personal success for our family. I was so proud of my little guys and amazed at their determination to run the entire 5K. Still, I could hardly believe my ears when, at the conclusion of the race, Max announced that he couldn’t wait to run a 10K! I reminisced over the shed tears, the whines and complaints, and the repeated frustrations of the past few months that had gotten us to this place and smiled as I realized I couldn’t wait to do it all over again!

ALSF's Top 10 List for 2012

2012-12-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of it being the last day of 2012, we wanted to share with you (our loyal blog readers) the top 10 ALSF moments from the year. In all honesty, we (fortunately) had more than just 10 top moments, but below are some of the big ones in no particular order. These accomplishments were only made possible through your dedication and support of our mission to end childhood cancer - thank you! There’s no denying that 2012 was a great year, but we can’t wait until 2013 as we're planning bigger and better things to help us find a cure for all childhood cancers. Stay tuned... and Happy New Year from all of us at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation!

PS – There’s still time to get your 2012 donation in! Make a tax-deductible donation by 11:59pm EST tonight (Dec. 31, 2012) and end the year on a high note.

You helped us to raise more than $13 million in 2012 (what a fitting number as we enter 2013)! We knew this lofty goal was ambitious, but also felt confident that through hard work and your support we could reach it. In true ALSF supporter fashion – you helped us to not only reach our goal, but surpass it.
In 2012 alone, your donations funded 66 new childhood cancer research projects. The projects are diverse, but are all working toward a common goal – to find better treatments and cures for childhood cancers.
Research breakthrough! Early results from a clinical trial found that a drug that was being used to treat lung cancer in adults (crizotinib) was found to eradicate cancer in some kids with a rare type of lymphoma. ALSF provided previous support to the research team that was critical for the translation of the basic research findings into a clinical trial.
We broke the 400 mark in terms of the number of families our Travel Fund program has helped (since inception) by assisting with travel costs so their children could receive the best treatment available. This includes more than 200 flights, 1,300 night of lodging and 7,000 gas cards!
Cycling toward a cure. We held our first Lemon Ride in July of 2012 – a new special event where cyclists completed one of three courses raising funds for pediatric cancer research projects.
All 50 states participated in National Lemonade Days (June 8-10, 2012) creating an outpouring of support for childhood cancer research from coast to coast and everywhere in between.
We sold out all 120 Team Lemon charity slots available for the Philadelphia Marathon creating a noticeable yellow tint to the crowd of runners participating in the event.
We launched a new chapter of The Lemon Society – our young professionals group – in New York City. These ambitious group of professionals has made their mark in Philly and we can’t wait to see what NYC will do!
MyChildhoodCancer.org, our research portal looking to find answers to how childhood cancer affects and impacts families, launched its second series of surveys. Through this series of anonymous surveys, we're looking to find common themes among families of childhood cancer (including information about their family history, child's diagnosis, etc...) to gain insights into childhood cancer and the impact it has on families.
ALSF announced two new medical research grant categories – Springboard Grants and our Centers of Excellence program. We continue to work directly with doctors, researchers, and nurses to identify the specific challenges they face in bringing new treatments to and caring for children with cancer and design grants to address these challenges.

Last Minute Gifts - ALSF Style

2012-12-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Here we are again, just days away from the holidays and we’re sure that there are many of you (as there are many of us) that need to do some serious shopping. We’re here to help you out. Check out a few ideas below of ALSF gifts* that not only will take care of that hard to buy person on your list, but also benefit the fight against childhood cancer. Visit our online gift shop to see all of our gear from stocking stuffers to limited edition apparel or if you're in the Philadelphia area, stop by our office! Gift giving that gives back - that's our idea of being on the nice list.
Happy Holidays!

ALSF Zip Up Hoodie

Who doesn’t love a hoodie? Help make our acronym a household name with this sweatshirt that is available in men’s and women’s sizes for only $40.

ALSF Winter Hat

Warm the hearts of children with cancer as well as your head with our new winter hat. Navy blue with ALSF’s iconic yellow logo, this hat is the perfect gift for anyone on your list - only $15. See more ALSF hats.

ALSF Vintage Design T-Shirt

The official 2012 ALSF t-shirt with a distressed, vintage style is going fast – a perfect fit for men and women. Yours for $15. See more ALSF apparel.

Urban Outfitters Design Canvas Tote

This cotton canvas eco-friendly tote bag was exclusively designed for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s 2012 Great Chefs Event by Urban Outfitters. Just $10!

ALSF Under Armour Heat Gear T-Shirt

A must have for any athlete on your list or someone looking to get a jump start on a New Year’s resolution to get fit. Available for $27.

2012 Holiday Ornament (Individual or complete set)

The newest addition to our ornament collection is inspired by a lemonade stand created by one of our childhood cancer heroes, Ishani Sathianathan. Purchase the 2012 ornament individually or along with past year’s ornaments for a complete set. Get the 2012 design for $20 or the entire set (2010, 2011 & 2012) of three for $50. Find out how to receive a free ornament by donating to our end of year campaign!

A Donation of Any Size

The simplest way to gift hope? Make a donation of any size to ALSF in honor of someone on your list. They get a notification of your generosity and you get the satisfaction of contributing to finding a cure for all children with cancer. Learn more about our end of the year campaign and make a tax-deductible gift today!

*You will be given a variety of options for shipping upon checkout including 2nd Day and Next Day delivery. We'll do our best, but ALSF cannot guarantee delivery by Christmas.

The Power and Kindness of Children

2012-11-30T10:36:00.000-05:00

Guest blog: Alyse Lancaster

Alyse Lancaster is a communications professor at the University of Miami and a mom who is dedicated to doing her part to finding a cure for childhood cancer.

When I started the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s Change Childhood Cancer fundraiser at my daughters’ school in mid-October, I was modest in setting the goal. I figured each kid (there are only 89 students at the Pre-K-5 school) would fill their cup once with pennies and I’d raise about $500.

I was surprised after having raised $647 after only two weeks. It was amazing to see these kids empty their piggy banks into their ALSF cups, not just with change, but with $1 and $5 bills. It wasn't only the kids...I watched as several teachers emptied their wallets into their class’s collection bags. After collecting almost $650 in just two weeks, I raised the school’s goal to $1,000. I wasn’t sure we could reach that high, but I figured it would be great to try!

So imagine my surprise last week, when I did the second of three collections. One father of a 5th grader donated almost $100. And one 4th grade girl, apparently very touched by Alex’s story, held her own lemonade stand outside of a local Publix supermarket and proudly donated the $100 bill she raised. The bags from each classroom had $5, $10, and even $20 bills.

The total raised after one month? $1,488. Eighty-nine children at a small elementary school have raised almost $1,500 in less than a month. We have our final collection on Friday. Our final goal is $1,750. I think we’ll make it!

A cynic might say it’s all about the competition…that the teachers and students want to win the pizza party I promised for the winning class, so they’re giving money to ensure a win. But it’s a pizza party I promised, not a trip to Hawaii. Yes, the element of competition is there, and it’s certainly helping to raise more money. But I don’t think even for a second that the competition alone is what’s driving these kids and their parents to donate so much money to the cause.

Nope, that’s not it. I know Alex’s story has gotten to everyone. These kids understand that they’re raising money for childhood cancer. Because so many of them have asked me, how many kids will this money help? Will we be able to make the kids with cancer better?

I don’t lie to the children. I don’t over-promise. I do tell them that when the money from our school is combined with all the money collected from the other schools, we can help a doctor do lots of research to find a cure. And knowing they’re contributing to that cause makes them so proud.

Isabella Santos

And the parents get it too. When I started the fundraiser, I not only read Alex’s book to every class, but I crafted a note for the parents too. I explained the fundraiser, gave them the url for the ALSF website, and told them about my goals for raising money for childhood cancer research. But I also told them about Isabella Santos. I told them about the lack of funding for neuroblastoma, and how Isabella died at age 7 because research could not keep up with her disease. And being parents themselves, they heard me. They’ve donated because they know this isn’t just another fundraiser. They know they’re giving money to help cure childhood cancer. Isabella’s story gave the fundraiser a face. It made it real. It touched their hearts.

Imagine if every kid in every school participated in this fundraiser. If every child in every classroom were read Alex’s story and asked to collect change for this cause. If every child and every parent were made aware of childhood cancer and how every cup of change can help find a cure.

Based on the results from my little school, I dare say that if every school did this, we would have a cure. Because if 89 kids between the ages of 3 and 10 could raise $1,500 in less than a month, imagine what could be done if the kids from every elementary, middle, and high school participated. Imagine it.

Who better to save children than other children? With their pure hearts and undying optimism, I truly believe that they could be the ones to raise the money necessary to find cures for childhood cancers. And their parents, when given the story of a child like Isabella, would be just an generous as their children. This is my belief.

So I’m thankful for Alex Scott and her foundation, for giving me the chance to try and prove it.

- Alyse Lancaster

Get your child's school involved in giving back this holiday season and sign up to participate in the Change Childhood Cancer Challenge. Kids will fully fund a pediatric cancer research grant entirely by collecting change!

Two Types of Heroes – One Important Cause

2012-11-16T14:15:00.000-05:00

Mario Carpino

Firefighter Joe Shinn

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. This is not a new concept or expression, but one that we saw personified firsthand at our 4^thAnnual Lemon Run that was held this past Sunday, November 12.

A quick note about The Lemon Run…it was a huge success and we thank everyone who came out and supported us. It’s hard to believe but with more than 2,000 participants – it’s the largest Foundation event to date. Better yet, we raised more than $200,000 for childhood cancer research. This funds an entire ALSF two-year research grant to some of the best and brightest scientists in the field.

Back to our heroes…most of you reading this know that here at Alex’s, we refer to our heroes as our childhood cancer heroes. This term represents kids currently fighting cancer, those in remission and those we have lost to the disease. These children are our heroes because of the courage and bravery that they emanate while fighting a disease that even the toughest of adults should never have to endure.

Our heroes and hero families are an integral part of The Lemon Run. Not only do they comprise a significant number of our participants, often by way of the number of large teams that they assemble, but they also provide inspiration to everyone at the run and tangible proof of why it’s so important to support childhood cancer research.

Race day commenced with our Kids’ Dash, which consists of kids under the age of 10 dashing 100 meters to be the first to reach the finish. It’s not only adorable, but incredibly meaningful as many of the kids running or toddling toward the finish line are wearing t-shirts supporting a sibling, relative or friend who is a childhood cancer hero. Kids helping kids…it’s what we’re all about.

Then it was time to showcase our heroes as along with their family members, the kids took to the pavement and kicked off the actual 5K. For some of these children, the fact that they can take a few steps, let alone run a few meters is an enormous accomplishment. It puts everything into perspective for the runners and suddenly finishing the fastest doesn’t seem so important anymore. Finally, the starting gun fired and the throngs of runners and walkers took off to complete the scenic 5K (3.1 mile) course throughout Fairmount Park.

It's so fun to watch everyone cross the finish line and see the sense of accomplishment (or maybe relief!) they feel as they finish with plenty of supporters cheering them on. However on Sunday, one runner in particular caught everyone’s eye reminding us that our childhood cancer heroes weren’t the only symbols of valor on the course. Joe Shinn, a firefighter from the Woolwich, New Jersey firehouse ran the entire 5K in all of his gear. And as you can see from the photo, we’re not kidding when we say ALL of his gear from his hat, to an oxygen tank on his back, down to his boots that we can’t imagine were the best in terms of orthopedic support. And why did Joe run the entire course without stopping on a balmy November day in full gear? Because he was inspired by one of our heroes Mario Carpino, an energetic 9-year-old who has been fighting brain cancer for the past five years and aspires to be a firefighter when he grows up. Joe thought that being uncomfortable and hot for 3.1 miles was the least he could do to show his support for what Mario and other kids with cancer have to endure on a daily basis.

Two different kinds of heroes inspiring each other truly embodies what Alex set out to do when she held that first lemonade stand. We couldn’t think of a better way to capture the spirit of the great day and what we stand for here at ALSF.

Thank you to everyone who supported and participated in The Lemon Run. You’ve enabled us to raise an incredible amount of funds and awareness so that kids with cancer will be able to grow up to be firefighters, teachers, doctors or just simply – grow up.

Check out more photos from The 2012 Lemon Run and sign up to be notified about next year’s race.

Natural Disasters, Marathons, Memories and Coming Together in Tragedy

2012-11-09T12:17:00.002-05:00

Some may call me stubborn or pigheaded, but I like to think I'm committed and determined. Determination is just stubbornness channeled in a positive way, right? I have channeled some of this determination into running marathons so when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast last week, it put my plans for doing back-to-back marathons in jeopardy. You see, earlier this year I had hatched a plan to run the New York Marathon on November 4 and then two weeks later run the Philadelphia Marathon as part of Team Lemon. Clearly, putting a wrench in my marathon plans turned out to be an insignificant consequence of Sandy's wrath.

Like many throughout the northeast, when Hurricane Sandy hit, it knocked the electricity out at our house almost immediately. Additionally our house took on some water, and a large branch hit our roof, but we consider ourselves lucky for escaping unharmed and with our house intact. As the week went on and we received word that the NYC Marathon would go on as scheduled, I started to realize that I was going to have to go from what felt like camping out in our house (which was getting down to the 40s at night) to running a marathon in a few short days.

After seeing the reports and photos of devastation on the news, it was then that I realized I had mixed feelings about whether the NYC Marathon should occur or not. I am not one to back down from a challenge, so I felt that if the race continued as planned, then I needed to be there. My rationalization was a simple one -- New York City could certainly use the money that all the marathoners and spectators would bring, especially during a time like this. NYC has always led the way in times of tragedy, rebuilding and rebounding faster than anyone might imagine. However, another part of me thought -- how can the race go on when people are suffering without shelter, heat, water or food? Would the marathon be a symbol of inspiration and hope, or incite controversy in a city already struggling?

These thoughts took me back to a time of tragedy in my own life when our house was destroyed in a storm. It was 33 years ago that a tornado struck my hometown of Windsor, Connecticut. I remember the storm and the days following as if it were yesterday. I was in 6th grade at the time, and watching the storm out the window, I recall thinking it was a hurricane because a tornado in Connecticut was unheard of. We saw pieces of trees, houses and telephone poles blowing past our front yard. I remember seeing a school bus in the street with electrical wires on top of it. During the storm, one of my older brothers thought it was a tornado and kept telling us that we should get into the basement. I am not sure how he knew that, but attempting to get to the basement wasn't as easy as we thought. My sister was on the second floor and couldn't get down because the stairs were moving so much. The rest of us were unable to get to the basement because the entire house was moving too much. As it would turn out, not being able to get to the basement may have saved our lives because our metal bulkhead door was sucked into the basement causing destruction to anything in its path. Also, an addition to our house that connected to the basement was blown away and through the hole that was left, items in the basement were sucked away.

The aftermath of the Windsor Locks tornado.

That's all I remember of the storm. In the aftermath, as kids who didn't fully comprehend the severity and impact of the damage, we had fun. Though we lost most things in the storm itself, it left us with a whole jungle of twisted and fallen trees to explore. For fun, my friends and I would climb through the woods to look for things that may have blown there. We came to find a lot of copper wiring, and we would sell it for recycling. One of the things I remember most is that a family from over 40 miles away came down to return papers to my parents because it landed in their yard in Massachusetts. It turns out in times of tragedy, the human spirit can really shine, it certainly did in that instance. I remember how the community came together to help and people from as far away as Pennsylvania, traveling to help clean up the area. The Salvation Army and Red Cross clothed and fed us during this time, which was a big deal for my large family.

Now it's our turn to do the same for those touched by Hurricane Sandy. Looking back at the time in my life that the tornado struck and to where we are now, I think in the end it was the right decision to cancel the marathon. I also have this underlying urge to write a check to help people in New York and New Jersey; but more than anything I feel that I am being called to go spend some time helping them clean up. We are hoping to plan an Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation staff outing to go help those affected as well, because I know that for my family, the help of strangers got us through a tough time, and now it's time for us to return that favor.

-Jay Scott

Originally posted on the Huffington Post Impact blog on Nov. 5, 2012.

"Super Ty" - A True Superhero

2012-10-31T10:29:00.001-04:00

Ty Campbell
(October 4, 2007 - October 17, 2012)

In light of today being Halloween and the numerous superhero costumes you are likely to see tonight on your doorstep, we wanted to dedicate today's blog to a true superhero, Ty Campbell, one of our childhood cancer heroes who recently passed away, less than two weeks after his fifth birthday. Ty – dubbed “SuperTy” and a “Little Fighter” by his parents – was diagnosed with an extra renal rhabdoid tumor, a very rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, shortly before he turned 3-years-old. As a result of Ty’s treatment that included three tumor resections, five rounds of high dose chemotherapy, metronomic chemotherapy and 45 radiation treatments to two parts of his brain – Ty endured multiple infections including three bouts of meningitis, paralyzing brain bleeds and radiation necrosis on his brainstem that left him paralyzed and unable to move his limbs. Despite all of these unimaginable hardships, “SuperTy” earned his nickname fighting like the superhero he was and continuing to smile.

Ty captured the hearts of many beyond his hometown of Pawling, NY, thanks to his mom Cindy’s widely ready blog that provided an honest, emotional narrative of their battle with the disease. One of Cindy’s most publicized posts was a beautiful,yet heart wrenching account of Ty’s final moments and the time her husband Lou and she spent with Ty after he passed away.

Ty’s story is a solemn reminder of why we must remain committed to finding better treatments and cures for all children battling this horrible disease. Ty’s courage and bravery inspires and motivates us on a daily basis to fulfill our mission to raise as much funds as possible for pediatric cancer research projects. As Ty himself said when asked what he was going to do to the cancer, “Beat that up,” we fully intend to do just that. We send our heartfelt condolences to the Campbell family and we won’t stop fighting – until there’s a cure.

Jay Scott: Will Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Ever Measure Up to Pinktober?

2012-10-18T16:24:00.002-04:00

Recognize the voice in the commercial above?

Another National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month has come and gone, and as we look back, we can't help but ponder -- is the country more aware of the importance of fighting childhood cancer than they were before September came to pass?

As we have each year since inception, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation spent the month spreading the word about staggering statistics (childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children under the age of 15 in the United States), creating campaigns on social media (30 ways to join the battle in 30 days), and even took on grand athletic challenges (yes, I ran through the Grand Canyon), but after our voices are quieted, our twitter feeds still and our muscles heal, will more people join us on the journey toward a cure?

This is a question that has hung over our heads -- simply put, after National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, are more people aware of the children and their families facing childhood cancer each and every day? Though we have wondered, and perhaps even formed our own opinions, we never truly knew the answer to this burning question; until now. With the help of one of our newest sponsors Northwestern Mutual, a poll was commissioned to answer questions like, are Americans aware of the stat we referenced in the first paragraph? The answer was clear -- nearly half (49%!) of Americans are unaware that pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children.

Of course as everyone knows, with answers like these, only come more questions. Now we are assured we need to continue to raise awareness about childhood cancer in order to find the cures that the more than 12,000 children diagnosed with childhood cancer in this country need; but where do we start? As we leave September behind, we enter into the welcoming days of October -- a month that should be the poster child for an awareness month gone right. I think it's fair to say that if you haven't recognized October as Pinktober, as it is now referred to, then you simply have not been paying attention. News websites have added a pink ribbon to their headers, buildings are alit with pink lights, stores are full of pink products, and more than anything -- I'm pretty sure that the percentage of Americans who are aware that this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month is very high.

As we always have, we applaud the awareness campaign during the month of October and the hard work that it has taken to become the juggernaut that it is. Breast cancer is a serious disease, one that has affected my family in a large way, with a sister and sister-in-law successfully battling the disease and it taking the life of my mother. We are amazed to see the progress that has been made against this disease, and we only hope that the same progress can be made against childhood cancer. So here is yet another question for you: is it so too much to hope for the same "yellow-out" (like a blackout, get it?) in September?

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation has been working diligently since 2005 (although technically longer since those years in our front yard selling lemonade) to fill the gaps to propel pediatric oncologists to the next level. Take for instance, our Bridge Grants, which are designed to literally keep the work of researchers alive until they can reapply for NIH funding. This is at the core of who we are -- even if we may not be able to provide the hundreds of millions of dollars that federal research does, we want to propel pediatric oncologists to achieve that very milestone. Maybe a YellowTember (that does not sound right!) is necessary, or maybe instead, we invite the nation to join us each and every day on this journey.

One final question for you -- if the country was more aware of childhood cancer after the awareness month, would they join us in the battle? Would you? I certainly hope so, and until we convince you to help find cures, we'll be here continuing the fight.

The blog above was originally posted in the Huffington Post on 10/10/12.

Jay Scott: Investing in Basic Research, A Nobel Cause

2012-10-11T13:31:00.001-04:00

Another National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (September) is in the books, thanks so much to everyone who read our series of blogs throughout the month and helped spread the word about the cause and the need for increased funding and support. It’s pretty ridiculous to think that childhood cancers (that’s 12 different disease types) continue to receive a mere 4% of the federal government’s total research budget. That’s why we raise the funds that we do – to help provide support to pediatric cancer researchers who aren’t receiving funding for their projects by the federal government. These projects funded by ALSF, thanks to your support, really are making important and significant inroads to cures.

ALSF grantee Hai Yan, MD.

We’re trying to do a better job at communicating these research accomplishments to you all, but it’s tough. Not because the work isn’t great – it’s pretty fantastic – but because one of the things we value investing in is basic research and this type of research doesn’t usually provide instant gratification (such as finding a cure after one clinical trial) and it’s usually not flashy, for lack of a better word. But, it’s extremely valuable and can often lead to revolutionary findings.

A great example of this is the work of the two scientists who were honored with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine earlier this week. The prize went to John B. Gurdon of the University of Cambridge in England, and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan for discovering that mature cells (adult cells) can be reprogrammed back to an immature state and perform new functions. To you and me, this may not sound too exciting, but it’s nothing short of a game-changer in the research world.

(A quick note - the work references adult stem cell regeneration, not embryonic stem cells. ALSF did not fund any part of the awardees’ work)

I won’t get too far into this, but Gurdon’s and Yamanaka’s discoveries prove that every cell has the ability to reprogram itself and become “young” again. These cells can then be modified to mature into any type of cell in the body, and potentially replace cells damaged by disease. So think of it, one day doctors could take a few cells from your skin, manipulate them to revert back to their primitive state, and then use these cells to help treat you if you have Alzheimer’s, heart disease or maybe even cancer. Rebuilding your body with tissues generated from your own cells – pretty cool.

Now, the research is still years away from yielding a clear breakthrough in medical treatment, but already the work has proven useful to understanding how diseases develop in cells and for testing new drugs, namely targeted drugs (ala personalized medicine). They wouldn’t just give anyone a Nobel Prize, so you know it’s significant.

Why am I telling you all this? Just to remind you that although we may not be able to report flashy findings all the time (e.g. that one of our projects found a cure for a particular type of childhood cancer) – it’s still extremely important to support these projects as many are laying the groundwork and have enormous implications in the scientific world, even if you and I don’t readily understand how. Thanks to your support, we’ve funded more than 250 research projects across North America and will not stop until we help attain those breakthroughs children with cancer so desperately need.

Two other quick notes now that I’ve gotten off my soapbox…

For those of you who were keeping tabs on me – I did run the Grand Canyon on September 21 with a few of my friends. It was hot, I was sick, but it was awesome. More to come on that in another blog post, but you can check out some of the photos from the trek on our Facebook page or Flickr.

Also, we had a great L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade event out in Los Angeles on September 29 raising more than half a million dollars for ALSF! Thanks to everyone who attended and even if you didn’t, you can get a sense of the fun day by checking out the photos posted in our L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade album on Facebook.

Poll finds lack of funds & awareness are barriers to finding cures for pediatric cancer

2012-09-27T17:28:00.000-04:00

One of our newest partners, Northwestern Mutual, commissioned a poll to determine these key barriers while also aiming to create greater awareness for pediatric cancer. Take a look at the study below.

MILWAUKEE, September 25, 2012 — Even though thousands of families in the U.S. feel the impact each year of pediatric cancer, a new poll cites that nearly half (49 percent) of Americans are unaware that pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children. The poll, executed in September, which is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, was commissioned by Northwestern Mutual as part of its new philanthropic program to generate greater awareness about pediatric cancer.

Not only is cancer the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children 1 to 14 years of age, the causes of childhood cancers are largely unknown according to the National Cancer Institute.

“The survey findings underscore the urgent need to raise awareness and support for pediatric cancer,” said John Kordsmeier, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “Through our pediatric cancer program, there is a wealth of opportunities for our financial representatives and employees to increase awareness within their own communities and impact a cause that touches thousands of American families.”
"Northwestern Mutual’s philanthropic efforts will not only increase funding for pediatric cancer research but also bring awareness to the fact that emotional support of families leads to improved health outcomes for the child," said Jacqueline Hart-Ibrahim, Global CEO of Starlight Children's Foundation.

In July 2012, Northwestern Mutual launched a national philanthropic program to accelerate the search for a cure to pediatric cancer and to provide support to kids and families facing the daily struggles of this disease. To achieve these goals, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation partners with two national nonprofits, Starlight Children’s Foundation and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

As these organizations work collaboratively to support families touched by childhood cancer, most Americans perceive that lack of funds and lack of awareness are the top two issues in fighting the disease, according to the survey.

Most needed for dealing with pediatric cancer:
· Funds to research a cure – 82 percent of survey respondents
· Financial support for families of children receiving treatments – 50 percent of survey respondents

Greatest obstacles in curing pediatric cancer:
· Lack of research funds – 60 percent of survey respondents
· Lack of awareness – 42 percent of survey respondents

Americans also cited lack of public support for pediatric cancer nonprofits (30 percent) and lack of researchers (28 percent) as additional barriers in curing pediatric cancer.

“These findings are in line with the harsh reality of childhood cancer: it is a vastly and consistently underfunded disease,” said Jay Scott, co-executive director of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to funding pediatric cancer research and helping families. “Funding cutting edge research will accelerate a cure for childhood cancer and give hope to those families who are emotionally and financially impacted.”

For more information, visit the Northwestern Mutual Foundation.

Survey Methodology
This research was conducted online by ORC International on behalf of Northwestern Mutual from September 10-12, 2012. The online omnibus study is conducted twice a week among a demographically representative U.S. sample of 1,000 adults 18 years of age and older. Because the sample is based on those who initially self-selected for participation, no estimates of sampling error can be calculated.

More Awareness...Just for Teens with Cancer

2012-09-25T17:06:00.002-04:00

We're thrilled to share the news below that comes as we near the end of September and National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. You can read the details in the press release, but the third week of January 2013 has been deemed Teen Cancer Awareness Week thanks to the efforts of Senator Pat Toomey and Bob Menendez. Although we certainly include teens in our awareness efforts throughout September and the rest of the year, dedicating a week for this particular age group to join together to highlight the issues and needs specific to having cancer as a teen is fantastic. The more awareness the better!


Read about Tanner Creed, one of our teen heroes.

Sen. Toomey Cosponsors Bipartisan Resolution For Teen Cancer Awareness Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) yesterday cosponsored a bipartisan resolution designating the third week of January 2013 as Teen Cancer Awareness Week. The resolution is sponsored by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).

"Cancer is the leading cause of death from disease for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19, and it is important to raise awareness about this deadly disease and the unique medical and social issues facing teens with cancer," Sen. Toomey said. "Pennsylvania has made amazing progress in combatting teen cancer, and I am grateful to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and organizations like Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for all the hard work they do in helping our teenagers."

"We are grateful for Sen. Pat Toomey's leadership on this important resolution. While 80 percent of all childhood cancers can be cured, much work needs to be done since cures often come with challenges - particularly for teens. Advocacy opportunities like Teen Cancer Awareness Week provide a national forum for teens to seek the support they need from one another and lend their voices to this important cause," said Steven M. Altschuler, MD, Chief Executive Officer of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "By joining Sen. Robert Menendez in making this issue a priority, Sen. Toomey is helping to advance America's fight against cancer."

"We are honored to be based in the state of Pennsylvania where Sen. Pat Toomey has designated the third week of January 2013 as Teen Cancer Awareness Week, joining Sen. Robert Melendez in recognizing the importance of kids facing cancer," said Liz Scott, Co-Executive Director of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national nonprofit based in the suburbs of Philadelphia. "As an organization funding important research toward finding cures for all kids with cancer, we know how important it is to support patients throughout their journey, including the formative years of their teens. Cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19, a statistic that needs to be recognized in the public eye through awareness campaigns like this one."

"Cancer Stinks. We Rock"

2012-09-21T14:09:00.002-04:00

Meet one of our childhood cancer heroes, Emily Siddell.

Emily Siddell is an active, friendly little girl who is always happy and loves Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Scooby Doo and to make people laugh. If not for being completely bald had due to chemotherapy, you would never even know was “sick.” But Emily is battling Philadelphia Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a specific type of leukemia with the chromosomal abnormality Philadelphia Positive, which makes the disease even more challenging to treat.

Emily was diagnosed with leukemia after being lethargic and sick for a few weeks and her mom Geri took her to the doctor’s where blood tests confirmed that she had cancer. Compounding the difficulty of treatment (in addition to the chromosomal abnormality) was that Emily had prior heart surgery and surgery on her esophagus.

For the past 15 months, Emily has bravely been undergoing inpatient treatment requiring her to be in the hospital for about two weeks of every month. Just recently she has been able to decrease her inpatient treatments to one week per month, and is hoping soon to move toward outpatient treatment once a month. Emily has also had more than 15 admissions to the hospital for reasons other than chemotherapy, due to her past health history.

One of the therapies that Emily is currently taking has given her a 90 percent chance of survival; it’s a relatively new drug and has only been available since 2008. Without it, she would only have a 20 percent chance of being cured. Geri credits research breakthroughs made possible by organizations like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and acknowledges all of the children and parents that have gone through what she’s going through now, so that new treatments are available giving Emily such hope.

Despite the multitude of medical problems that Emily has, she remains strong even on the toughest days when she tells her mom, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” Geri hopes that someday Emily will look back on these days that are filled with treatments and hospital visits as just a small part of her history and that she far surpasses what the doctors believe is possible. Mostly, she hopes that she will continue to be an inspiration for others.

"Cancer stinks. We rock." - Emily Siddell

Emily represents just one of the tens of thousands of children bravely battling cancer. Please consider sharing her story and helping to spread awareness of the disease throughout September - National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Good News on the Research Front

2012-09-18T10:26:00.002-04:00

Although a major focus of our actions during September, National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, have to do with spreading the word about the devastating disease - we also think that it's important to report on the progress that your efforts are making possible on the childhood cancer research front. Check out the video below from one of our research grantees, Andrew Napper, PhD, of the Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research.

Dr. Napper's research is looking to develop new treatments for hard to treat types of acute lymphocyctic leukemia (ALL), specifically MLL rearranged leukemia. This type of the disease is very aggressive, common in infants and can often lead to a grim prognosis for these young children as current therapies are often unsuccessful.With the research funding from ALSF, Dr. Napper and his team have developed a screening tool that allows them to quickly test several hundred thousand compounds (compounds that can lead to new therapies) until they find one with promise.

Watch the video below to hear from Dr. Napper and learn more about his encouraging research project restoring hope in kids and families afflicted by ALL. Forward this to a friend! Spread the word about why supporting childhood cancer research is vital to saving children's lives.

Wear your support on your sleeve (literally)!

2012-09-12T16:00:00.001-04:00

In recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Day tomorrow, September 13, and the fight against childhood cancer, we’re asking everyone to wear our signature color of yellow and to encourage your friends, family members, coworkers, etc…to do the same. It’s a popular color this year in apparel and the opportunities to wear the sunny shade are endless! Need some inspiration? A few fun ways to wear yellow (beyond the traditional t-shirt) are captured in the photos of some of our supporters below.

Don’t have anything to wear tomorrow? We have plenty of yellow ALSF gear at our office outside of Philadelphia (stop by and see us) or our online gift shop is always open. Designate your own “wear yellow day” this month or any day or the year. Remember, it’s all about awareness this month, so tell people why you’re wearing yellow and spread the word to make a difference.

Get a jump start on Halloween – dress-up in a lemon costume.

Renowned chef Masaharu Morimoto shows off his yellow "kicks."

CBS 3 Philly’s anchor Chris May sports sunny striped socks (and a tie).

Everyone (pets included) can show their support.

We saved the best for last...Jay Scott (Alex's dad).

Why Do We Need to Be Aware of Childhood Cancer?

2012-09-10T16:04:00.001-04:00

Because...

Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States.
Childhood cancers affect more potential patient-years of life than any other cancer except breast and lung cancer.
The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown. At present, childhood cancer cannot be prevented.
In the United States, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults is increasing at a greater rate than any other age group, except those over 65 years of age.
Despite all of these facts, childhood cancer research continues to be vastly and consistently underfunded.

...all kids, like Cole Fitzgerald (below) and his sisters, deserve to have first day of school.

Don't forget to wear yellow on Thursday, September 13 - National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day!

"Always Fight, Never Give Up."

2012-09-06T15:27:00.000-04:00

Meet one of our childhood cancer heroes, Dominic Miranda.

"Always fight, never give up." - Dominic Miranda

Dominic Miranda is a quiet boy, who prefers to show his compassion and strength by helping others. He also loves to play football so when his foot became swollen one summer weekend, it seemed reasonable to believe the doctors when they told him that it was a double fracture on two toes. Dominic’s foot appeared to have healed by the following fall – he played sports as usual and had a great football season. Then in early December, the same area of his foot swelled again causing Dominic to be in pain. X-rays were performed and this time it was diagnosed as cellulitis with doctors reassuring Dominic’s mom Bianca that is was nothing to worry about. To everyone’s surprise, 45 minutes into Dominic’s surgery, he was diagnosed with cancer – Ewing’s Sarcoma.

Since his diagnosis, Dominic has endured nine months of chemotherapy and his right foot has been partially amputated. He undergoes physical therapy and will need another surgery on his foot to attend to some residual issues. Dominic is now 10 months NED (as of July 2012).

Bianca hopes that despite possible physical limitations caused by the surgeries that Dominic will be able to play sports, finish school and even help to raise awareness for childhood cancer. She continues to be amazed at her son who never holds a grudge and calmly accepts and understands the impact of the disease even when she does not.

Dominic represents just one of the tens of thousands of children bravely battling cancer. Please consider sharing his story and helping to spread awareness of the disease throughout September - National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

"A" is for Awareness

2012-09-04T15:30:00.000-04:00

September is typically known as “Back to School” month, but it’s also National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. There are a variety of dedicated awareness months, weeks and days for a number of very important causes, but what constitutes making someone aware of something and having it actually mean something? For us here at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation – one of our primary goals this month is to simply spread the word about the impact of this devastating disease. By doing this, our hope is that others will become inspired to get involved and support the fight to find a cure for all children affected by childhood cancer.

We’re here to help you participate in our awareness crusade! Throughout the month of September, we’re going to be sending blogs more often than usual featuring childhood cancer hero stories, research news, inspirational videos, childhood cancer facts and other tidbits of information that embody what this month is all about – simply educating others about the impact of the disease and why it’s important to be aware of our cause.

Given how easy it is to share information these days – we ask that you simply do that – forward an email, repost a hero’s story on a social media site, recount the story of Alex while getting coffee at work or simply wear yellow and tell someone why you’re outfitted in our signature color. If you haven’t already, connect with us on social media as we’ve launched a “30 Ways in 30 Days” campaign providing supporters with daily tips on simple ways to join the fight.

Take advantage of this dedicated month to spread the word about the devastating disease that remains the leading cause of death by disease in kids under the age of 15 in the United States, although research funding dedicated to childhood cancer continues to be severely underfunded.

Need a little inspiration? Watch the story of Alex below and get a jump start on the rest of the month by forwarding it to just one person and asking them to do the same. As Alex said herself, everyone can make a difference.

PS – Join our sea of yellow on Thursday, September 13 – National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day! Ask your colleagues, family, friends, school and neighbors to join you by wearing something yellow on this day in an effort to support our quest to find a cure.

National Lemonade Day vs. National Lemonade Days

2012-08-20T11:29:00.001-04:00

Today, August 20, is National Lemonade Day – not to be confused with ALSF’s National Lemonade Days held annually in June. Today’s National Lemonade Day is more about recognizing/honoring the actual drink, while our Lemonade Days are about banding together as a country to honor our childhood cancer heroes and raise important funds for pediatric cancer research. That being said, we think today is as good a day as any to enjoy a cool glass of our favorite beverage, savor the remaining days of summer and support ALSF! Thanks to some of our great sponsors, it's easy to do through a number of ALSF promotions kicking off today:

Auntie Anne’s – Purchase a $1 paper lemon at Auntie Anne’s benefiting ALSF and you’ll get a coupon for $1 off your next pretzel or beverage purchase. (Aug. 20-Oct. 6)
California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) – Participating CPK locations will donate 100% of lemonade sales to the Foundation. (Aug. 20-24)
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market – Fresh & Easy stores will be donating 5% of the profits from the sale of their own branded lemonade as well as selling paper lemons in return for a $1 donation to ALSF. (Aug. 20-Sept. 4)

Speaking of our great partners…perhaps you had an opportunity to read Jay Scott’s Huffington Post blog last week explaining the importance and impact that our corporate partners have on our cause. Jay notes that companies do indeed fuel change and that although sometimes consumers may grow tired of the number of “asks” at the cash register, etc…that their support is vital to helping children with cancer. In addition, from high level executives to front line employees – corporate partnerships allow all members of the company to join together, get involved and be inspired to do good.

Case in point, Jeff Kaliner (founding partner of Power Home Remodeling Group), wrote the following blog detailing their first “Power Month for Alex’s” and the impact that it had on the employees, particularly one with a personal connection to childhood cancer.

Happy National Lemonade Day and thank you to all of our partners!

The First Annual “Power Month for Alex’s”

by Jeff Kaliner of Power Home Remodeling Group

In 2011, we were given the opportunity to become a National Corporate Sponsor for ALSF, and since then have donated one dollar per window, per square foot of siding and per square foot of roofing installed throughout the year. After a year as a Corporate Sponsor we realized our employees were looking for more ways to get involved in the ALSF mission and fundraising effort. The result was “Power Month for Alex’s,” a company-wide, month-long initiative aimed at raising money and awareness while further engaging our employees. On June 1,we embarked on our first annual Power Month with our 1,200 employees in each of our eight markets.

From hosting lemonade stands in the office and at home, to volunteering at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, devoting an entire month to the cause was a great opportunity for all of us to further engage with this mission and grow as professionals by helping raise awareness of pediatric cancer and bringing Alex's incredible and courageous story into new communities across the country.

Power Month meant a lot to our employees. For example, Power’s own Mike DiPietro reached out to tell me how much he appreciates the direct impact our work with Alex’s has on saving the lives of children. Mike’s younger brother Greg had Lymphoma B of the intestine. Even though he got better, he then developed Leukemia of the Bone Marrow. He’s now 10 years in remission and Mike thanks organizations like Alex’s — and companies and individuals that stand behind them to donate money for research — for helping his brother be here with us today.

We are extremely proud of our employees for embracing the ALSF cause by devoting so much time and energy to make a difference through their participation in Power Month for Alex’s. From our employees in Melville, NY, who raised over $1,350 through their office lemonade stand, to the top producers in our Chester, PA office who spent their free time hosting stands during weekends in June — our remarkable employees really banded together to spread Alex’s story to customers in all eight of the markets we do business.

Thanks to the support and hard work of our employees, we’re happy to share that we raised $13,050 during “Power Month” and are on track to meet our goal of donating $300,000 to ALSF this fiscal year. The awareness we raised of ALSF through “Power Month” will make a significant impact on the health of our program in the future. Awareness of the organization’s mission is equally important as the amount of money raised in search of a cure for pediatric cancer. Our network is expansive, and we will continue to spread the word through as many channels as possible.

Liz Scott: A Tribute to Alex - Truly Inspired

2012-08-01T13:06:00.000-04:00

Alexandra "Alex" Scott (1996-2004)

Eight years ago today, August 1, 2004, my daughter Alex passed away after battling neuroblastoma for nearly her entire life, seven years. It’s a bittersweet day for our family as we remember our little lemonade girl and her infectious spirit, but also continue to miss her more than ever.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that Alex was only 8-years-old when she died given how much she accomplished in her short life. In addition to creating a Foundation that has grown into a national movement to end childhood cancer, she has provided inspiration for so many others to not only hold lemonade stands of their own and get involved – but also to simply be better people and do good things.

Every day we receive countless letters and emails that we love to read where people of all ages tell us about the impact that Alex has made on their life and the inspiration that she has provided. People have gone so far as to name their children after Alex, (ALSF Board member and general manager of the NJ Nets Billy King chose Alexandra for his daughter’s middle name after meeting our Alex), to create annual events of their own to support childhood cancer research or simply share Alex’s story to ensure my daughter’s memory endures.

I thought it would be fitting to share a few of these wonderful letters from over the years, which are below. I also ask that on this day, that you share how you have been inspired by Alex or how you choose to honor her memory by leaving a comment below.

On behalf of all of us, thank you for remembering Alex.

-Liz Scott