Growing up I was never the kid who would set up a lemonade stand and try to make money or raise funds for a charity. Alex Scott was different. Even though she was only on this earth for a few years she started something much greater than herself, she was the driving force behind Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Yesterday was a long, but rewarding day, as my lodge sold lemonade at the Applebee’s on City Avenue to raise money for this truly worth, and locally based, charity.
It was a new experience for many of us and you could tell that there was a slight awkwardness that most of us felt when we first arrived but it didn’t take long before we banded together and sold as much as we could. Thankfully, it was a beautiful, and uncharacteristically warm, November day and the steady stream of cars (except when we dammed the flow of traffic for a few moments) provided for a constant flow of funds. Washington provided the bulk of the currency current with occasional ripple from Lincoln, Jackson, and Hamilton as well as one wave from Grant.
Many hands makes for light work and yesterday was no exception. Throughout the five or so hours that our lodge was on that corner we had brothers come and go contributing both time and money to the effort. Everyone gave a little bit of themselves to fill the hat as much as we could. It was a day that I was immensely proud to be wearing my apron outside the walls of the lodge.
Toward the end of the day things began to slow down. The lunch rush had dwindled and the foot traffic early came to a complete halt. It was a time for all of us to step back, recollect, and relax a little bit as we enjoyed being in the company of our brothers. It was especially nice for me because I also had my wife with me to enjoy the time we spent outside contributing to Alex’s memory.
It was around this time when we had a very special guest arrive at our little stand. Liz Scott, Alex’s mom, walked up to greet us and see how we were doing. Liz and her husband, Jay, supported Alex in the first few years with a small stand in their front yard just a few blocks from where we had our stand yesterday. Now she was supporting our efforts in the same way she supported her daughter.
By the end of the day we had raised almost eight hundred dollars (plus another five hundred from the lodge) for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Not too bad for the first time around. Of course, we are not completely done raising money.
For those of you so inclined you can donate $10 by texting “Lemonade E118099” to 85944. You can also contribute by calling (866) 333-1213 or going online at http://www.alexslemonade.org/contribute. Lastly, you can send a check or money order to the following address:
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
333 E. Lancaster Avenue #414
Wynnewood, PA 19096
Whichever method you choose, please make sure you reference the code “E118099” so that we can continue to build upon our efforts and solidify a much loftier goal for next year. Thank you!
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