Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

www.TheReporterOnline.com
By DAVID HARE
9/3/10

MONTGOMERY TWP. — Four students at Mary Mother of the Redeemer School served up lemonade Thursday to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

Student Council hosted an Alex's Lemonade Stand from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the front doors of the school at 1325 Upper State Road.

The four core council members, all eighth-graders, are Brianna Gaul, president; Mary Kate Curley, vice president; Emma McCoy, secretary; and Joseph Splendido, treasurer.

When the group was looking to do charity work, Curley suggested the lemonade stand founded by Alexandra Scott, who in 2004 died of cancer at the age of 8.

"We really wanted to kick off the school year right with a charity, and we had heard of Alex's Lemonade Stand and thought it was a great cause and that it would be a great thing for our school" Curley said.

The students' goal was to raise $250. They seemed well on their way to surpassing that amount within an hour of opening the stand.

They picked a particularly good day to hold a fundraiser, as Thursday was the school uniform exchange, plus class lists were posted on the front doors.

Parents and children crowded in front of the doors searching the lists, while just a few feet away the student council members poured lemonade.

Teresa Anastasia, a teacher at MMR, helped out for awhile before turning it over to the students.

"This is all their work," she said. "They put this all together, they deserve all the credit."

This year marks the charity's 10th anniversary commemorating the first time Scott held her lemonade stand to raise money for pediatric cancer patients like herself.