Friday, September 10, 2010

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month


“Love is staying up all night with a sick child --....Robert Frost.  Now imagine staying up night after night worrying about your child who has been diagnosed with cancer.  Would you not do ANYTHING for your child?

I have been touched by one of my good friend's little girl.  Her name is Mia and, thankfully, she does not have cancer, but she wants to celebrate her birthday by helping other children who are suffering from cancer.  Mia believes all kids should have happy and healthy birthdays.

Here is Mia's story.
 
It started the night Mia's Aunt, a registered nurse at Fox Chase Cancer Center, stopped by to visit. This was the first time Mia had seen her Aunt since she cut off her long, black hair to donate to Locks of Love.  Mia's Mom and Aunt explained to her that some kids get very sick with a disease called cancer and can lose their hair while they are trying to get better. Mia decided immediately that she wanted to get her hair cut and donate it too.

They explained to her that she didn't have hair long enough to donate, but they had recently received an email from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and they could look at it for ideas on what she could do to help.  As soon as Mia saw the Strawberry Shortcake logo in the newsletter and they read more about it, she got the idea to have a Strawberry Lemonade Stand on her 6th birthday - September 28th. Her goal was small, just $60.00.  Amazingly, Mia was already a quarter of the way to her goal twelve hours after her Mom posted information on her fundraising page on Facebook!

On September 28th, Mia gets home from school at 4 p.m. and she will have her lemonade stand up and running- complete with lots of pink and yellow balloons for a happy birthday atmosphere. Please help Mia celebrate her birthday by helping her with her fundraising efforts.  Donations can be made through Mia's fundraising page on Facebook.


Just a little history on Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation:
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and Strawberry Shortcake are enlisting supporters from across the country to host a special Strawberry Shortcake Alex's Lemonade Stands to commemorate National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month throughout September.  Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott (1996-2004).  2010 marks 10 years since 4-year-old Alex announced she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer.  Since Alex held the first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of volunteers across the country carrying on her legacy of hope.  To date, ALSF has raised more than $3 million towards fulfilling Alex's dream of finding a cure, funding over 125 research projects nationally. 

You can also register to hold a strawberry lemonade stand during September which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Strawberry Shortcake will donate $50 to ALSF for each registration! Click here to learn more and to register: www.AlexsLemonade.org/campaign/strawberry-shortcake .



Other upcoming events for ASLF!

8th Annual Softball Tournament – Saturday, September 18 at South Ardmore Park
Celebrity Casino Night – Thursday, October 28 at Jason Matthew Salon in Philadelphia
The Lemon Run – Sunday, November 14 at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park
The Lemon Ball – Saturday, January 15, 2011 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for spreading the word about Mia's stand! Mia's total donations so far have passed her goal but the more the merrier when it comes to helping other kids celebrate their birthdays for many years to come!!!! She is so excited every time a new donation comes in!!!

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