Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

I am super excited about an upcoming project I have. But first, I must tell you about the story I mentioned in my Versatile Blogger Award Post (here it is in case you missed it), in one of my seven facts about myself. A few years ago I went to the grocery store to get a few snacks for the drive for South Carolina the next day. When I came back to my car and tried to start it, I realized it was not functioning. my first thought was that I got in the wrong Camry and that must be why my car won’t start. but reality hit and so did the logic that my key wouldn’t have even fit in the ignition if it had been someone else’s car. I called my dad and he came and tried to jump it with my mom’s car. But nothing. My car had to be towed and given a new battery. When I went to pick up my car several hours later and paid the scary bill, the cashier asked if I would like to donate five dollars to the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for childhood cancer. I said sure, wrote my name on a paper star and paid the donation. he gave me a pamphlet about the foundation, I thanked him for fixing my car and put the pamphlet in my purse.

   A few days after we got home from vacation I had an evening babysitting job for two adorable little boys. After I had put them to bed I sat down at their kitchen table as per usual and fished through my purse for a piece of paper to write on. Instead of finding a piece of paper, the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation pamphlet fell out of my purse and slid onto the table right in front of me. I opened the pamphlet up and read about the foundation, how it started with a very young girl, named Alex, who struggled with childhood cancer and had run a lemonade stand and all her proceeds went to her hospital for cancer research. Alex passed away from her cancer, but the foundation lives on, sharing her story and her desire to help others, Now anyone can have a lemonade stand and donate everything to his foundation for cancer research.

        It seemed like fate that the pamphlet fell right in front of me. This is something I wanted to do, that I felt I needed to do. So I started to plan my own lemonade stand. I talked to the manager at the same store where my car broke down and got the okay to have the lemonade stand at his establishment for labor day weekend, It was perfect. I sold lemonade and baked goods for donation and gave it to the foundation. Feeling happy and fulfilled.

      Now I will be running the lemonade stand for the third year in a row come this labor day weekend. I am so incredibly excited for that weekend to arrive. I get to bake and help a good cause, The foundation is so helpful to people who want to run their own stand. They communicate with you to give you help if you need it, sends you a package of flyers and signs to use and packet of tips and advice, they also have you set up an online donation page to use also,

    So in the end, my car breaking down in the grocery store parking lot was a blessing because it brought me the opportunity to help a good cause. Thank you, Karl (my car’s name).

 

If you would like more information on Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation click here. Plus, I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have about running a stand and my experience with this opportunity!

Day Twelve: Five Weird Things That I Like

I think the concept of weird all depends on your perspective. Because sometimes I do what I believe is normal and another person thinks it’s weird. Okay, okay, maybe not sometimes. All the time. but I digress. Here are five things that I have believed all my life to be normal, but when looked at in a different perspective, may possible be weird:

1. I like to name things, inanimate things. I of course name my car, the typical cliche. But I also name my GPS (Jack Jack) and refer to him by name when he disagrees with me on the correct route. Seriously, Jack Jack. I know how to get out of my neighborhood. I’ve named a long loose string that hung from my hoodie sleeve (Leo), but he died a tragic death. (Don’t ask, it’s still hard to talk about.) and many more things have names, but I’ll save you from that ridiculousness.

2. I like to park in a parking lot far away from the store so I can have “pull through” parking and all I have to do to get out is go forward and not back up. (I’m not afraid of going in reverse, but I feel backing into a space or pulling through it is a much safer route where no one can slip behind you if you or the other person don’t know the other’s intent.

3. I like to organize things. I like to have things in order and in it’s own place. A joy for me is reorganizing an entire bookshelf by reading level as I did at the summer camp I have been working.

4. I like to eat the crust first when I have bread because I like the soft, delicious inside that can only be enjoyed when the crust has been devoured.

5. I like to write my book or in this blog or do class work or something of that sort while I watch television. It’s the only way I can focus on a show and my class work or whatever I am working on at the time.