Third-graders at Conshohocken Elementary School raised $1,200 for pediatric cancer research by running a lemonade stand on the playground during three lunch periods in October.
The fundraiser, part of the school's annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Month activities, benefited Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). Students poured lemonade, collected donations and made sure every classmate who wanted a cup got one, according to the Colonial School District.
The $1,200 total surprised the students themselves.
"I thought it would be fun," said Ginny, a third-grader. "My aunt has cancer, so I wanted to help kids with the same thing."
Third-grader Olivia said the best part was the money they raised. "The most rewarding part of the lemonade stand was the amount of money we raised to help other kids," she said.
Third-grade teacher Christine Donovan said the students took their roles seriously each day. "They wanted to make sure everything was perfect and were so invested in the success of the stand every day," Donovan said. "They loved being able to help other kids like themselves."
The lemonade stand was one piece of a monthlong classroom effort. Teachers shared age-appropriate facts about childhood cancer and read aloud "Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand," the picture book about Alexandra "Alex" Scott. Scott set up her first lemonade stand at age 4 while battling neuroblastoma and died in 2004 at age 8, having raised $1 million before her eighth birthday.
The foundation created in her memory has funded more than 1,500 research projects at over 150 institutions, according to ALSF.
Conshohocken Elementary serves about 247 students in kindergarten through third grade, one of seven schools in the Colonial School District's 5,713-student system. The school holds a different Childhood Cancer Awareness Month fundraiser each year.
