When I encounter people as wonderful as Liz and Jay Scott, as well as the rest of the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation crew, I sometimes wonder if people are really as good as they seem. Can they really be so giving by donating so much of their time to helping other people? Yet as I have spent time at the foundation over the past three weeks as part of the Julien Krinsky Career Builders summer program, I have found that everyone is just as great, in fact, even better, than I ever could have known. Seeing as this was my first job, I didn’t know what to expect. Sure, I stuffed a few envelopes and typed up a few spreadsheets, but to some extent I expected that. What I did not expect, however, was how welcoming everyone was to me, a 17-year-old who was newly employed. Everyone here made me feel like I was part of the lemonade family and for that I am grateful. They let me into their world, even allowing me to meet the children and families who inspire their work, and I could not have asked for a better way to spend my summer!

Probably the greatest thing that I was able to do was attend a check presentation at Rita’s in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Beforehand, I was asked to read about all of the children who would be attending. These Heroes, childhood cancer fighters, would be in attendance along with their families. After my initial introduction to the children via the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation website, I was unsure if I was going to be able to handle this interaction. Not only were the descriptions of the children so beautifully written, but I myself am no stranger to cancer as it has greatly affected my family. So, to be perfectly honest, I was scared. Upon entrance to Rita’s though, I knew I would be okay, as the smiling faces of everyone present kept my spirits high. The Rita’s staff did a great job of entertaining the children and providing everyone with delicious treats, but it was the children that made the experience so special to me. It was then that I was able to fully understand the effect that the foundation has on the lives of so many, and I’m so thankful that I was able to be a part of it.

-Alexis, ALSF Summer Intern