Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Written by SUZANNE MARINO
www.ShoreNewsToday.com
8/26/10

MARGATE—They began their summer project in mid June and organizer Laura Dulac and her crew tasked 200 kids and 20 team leaders to research and find charities they liked and cared about. Now explain to the others gathered why that is a good charity to support. Democracy will rule and the majority will decide by ballot what charity will be the beneficiary of the effort of Our Children Making Change.

The group chose Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Share the Magic, Atlantic Riding Center for Handicapped Children, The Women’s Center, The Atlantic City Rescue Mission and the Ocean City Humane Society.

Finally the members were asked to come up with whatever interesting methods they could to try to earn $1,000 between the 10 members of their team by Aug. 15. Simply put, shoot really high and whatever they collected would be wonderful. In their wildest dreams when all the nickels, dimes and dollars were tallied they did not think they would really hit $20,000.

But they did.

Dulac gave the good news to the team members and families who gathered on Thursday, Aug. 19 for the wrap-up party and magic show at the Dominick Potena Performing Arts Center. Collectively the group raised $22,080 and it is divided equally between the six charities. That is $3,680 to each of the six recipients and that is the kind of donation that can really make an impact on any charitable organization.

In its second summer, OCMC has once again brought out the creative energy in its members. From the very first week up to just a few days before it all wound up, there were kids, friends and parents giving it their all in the name of charity. Team LaMonaca held a wiffle ball tournament at the Sigmund Rimm Athletic Complex, Jerome Avenue ball fields that more than 100 people eventually played in over two weekends. There were bake sales, yard sales, lemonade stands and car washes. Kids walked their neighbors’ dogs, weeded gardens, took out the trash and dropped all the money they earned into their OCMC box to be turned in at the end of the summer.

“We are just thrilled with the outcome,” said Dulac. “Expansion is a scary thing. We doubled the number of kids from last summer to this summer and really did not know if we would be able to have the same success we did in our first year when OCMC raised more than $10,000.” Leigh Turner, another of the OCMC organizers said she was so impressed with the energy of all of the kids to accomplish this goal and to make a difference for the charities.

Both agreed the biggest difference this year over last year was the willingness to get involved. “A year ago we had an idea and we had to ask 10 adults along with our kids and their friends to try this experiment; to show that each of our small efforts when brought together really can make a big difference. This year we did not have to plead with people to join, they came to us asking to be part of OCMC. It was contagious. They were so willing and so energized to help and to make a difference and they have,” said Dulac. 

OCMC is a summer only project. It does not run through the school year and there are no plans to move beyond the summer months. Dulac said with all of the children involved in sports and lessons along with homework they have decided that OCMC is best as a summer long effort.

“The kids really looked forward to being involved for the summer and made plans accordingly. It works really well as it is,” Turner said.

Organizers had a very big surprise that came in the mail several days before the end of the summer. A story in the newspaper about OCMC spurred adults to help out in a big way. Dulac received a letter from a title search company, John J. Lehman Searches LLC and a pledge for $4,000. The letter said the small firm of only eight employees began a “giving back” effort last year and raised just over $4,000 that went back to numerous charities. They undertook the effort as a way of saying thanks to their clients for sending them work, they were able to do something good in the local community. The money pledged from Lehman is for administrative costs like the insurance they have to get for a venue if OCMC has an event like the end of the summer wrap-up at the PAC, T-Shirts, accounting fees, the boxes that each member gets to decorate and hold the money they collect till the end of the summer or even to cover the cost of pizza and ice cream at their celebration. Turner said they read the letter from Lehman with tears streaming down their cheeks. “What an incredible gesture,” said Turner. “It really makes a difference and we are very appreciative.”

And just as a side note, with all the hard work and positive energy spread around Atlantic County by OCMC, there was a good vibe going 100 miles south of here as well; this summer Dulac’s friends in Baltimore asked if she would help them launch the same program in their neighborhood. They tallied on Thursday night and she drove to Baltimore the following day to help with their end of the summer celebration and to give out the checks to the charities. They had 100 children and their parent/team captains. Their goal was $10,000 and they raised $10,600. “I am beyond thrilled for them,” said Dulac.

And though expanding out of their immediate comfort zone might be a little scary, OCMC and its organizers have managed to channel an energy force and teach the lesson that every effort has the possibility of making a difference and each of the recipient charities will attest to that.
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