The Scott kids. (L to R) Alex, Eddie, Joey, Patrick.

Spring has definitely sprung in our neck of the woods, or maybe even summer given recent temperatures hovering around 80 degrees, but we’re ready for it. It’s the most wonderful time of the year (feel free to sing this to the tune of Andy Williams’ Christmas tune or that clever Staples back-to-school commercial) here at ALSF as we gear up for an amazing summer lemonade season!

This summer will also bring a new twist to the Scott household as we prepare to send our oldest son Patrick off to college in the fall. Despite Patrick’s maturity, Jay and I are blown away that we’ll actually have a kid in college come late August – it doesn’t seem possible. Patrick, as with all of our sons, has been proud to see how his sister’s legacy continues to thrive, but he has an extra special relationship with the Foundation since he was the one who helped Alex set up her first stand. He often speaks in public about the Foundation, most recently at our Lemon Ball this year where he presented the Stand Host of the Year award to Riley Miller (a fellow 17-year-old) and her family from Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Our son Eddie is also getting ready to graduate from middle school this year and will be entering high school in the fall, which again, is hard to believe. Many of you may not know this but Eddie is, literally, a walking advertisement for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. He wears a different ALSF t-shirt/sweatshirt every day to school with the goal to never wear the same one twice. It’s pretty awesome as it gets all of his classmates involved and aware of what we do as they keep track of his daily wardrobe choice. He has been wearing an Alex’s Lemonade Stand shirt every day for nearly 3 years now! Eddie is also a big fan of The Great Chefs Event. He really enjoys the fantastic food prepared and given his endless appetite –those of you with 13-year-old boys can relate – he makes sure to get a taste (or two) of each signature dish.

Our youngest Joey is also a superstar supporter of his big sister’s vision. Joey was just a baby when Alex died, yet has such a connection with all that we do since he’s never known life without the Foundation. He takes great pride in how his school supports ALSF every year by hosting Alex’s “Original” Lemonade Stand and he is always the first one to spot anything that says Alex’s Lemonade Stand anywhere we go! Joey also loves to hear stories of how nurturing his big sister was and how she loved taking care of him, like how she spent 3 months knitting a white kitten to give him on his first birthday, and how they often rode around together in our wagon.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that I feel extremely privileged to have such wonderful sons. We usually reserve the term “hero” at ALSF for our brave kids fighting cancer, but I know that Patrick, Eddie and Joey were Alex’s heroes (as she was theirs). I am so proud to be their mom.

Please know that your support has a meaningful impact on brothers, sisters and all members of families affected by childhood cancer. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and dedication to ALSF. And get ready…National Lemonade Days is just around the corner!

-Liz Scott (Alex’s, Patrick’s, Eddie’s and Joey’s Mom)