Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation is proud to count among our many fundraising activities, Team Lemon. Team Lemon is a program designed for athletes of all skill levels to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer while achieving their athletic goals. Runners, bikers, swimmers and other athletes across the country have the opportunity to join Team Lemon, giving them access to a race and a fundraising coach, training programs, an online fundraising page and so much more. The program welcomes all athletes to make a difference in the lives of those affected by childhood cancer.
Among the members of Team Lemon are three best friends training for the 2011 Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, MI. We invited them to share their story as part of our blog.
Written by: Christopher Sell
I love being part of a team.
The opportunity to share your pursuit of a goal with others has always made the effort and dedication an invaluable journey.
So naturally, when thinking about running a marathon, I decided joining a team was the way to go. Making a commitment to run every week for months on end is admirable. But still, I was left with a conundrum.
Running 26.2 miles is an accomplishment.
Fighting cancer as a child?
That’s beyond admirable. That’s more than an accomplishment.
That’s heroic.
And that’s why my three best friends and I decided to team up with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) and join Team Lemon as we train for the 2011 Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, MI. Because we understood that running 26.2 miles is a significant investment, but by teaming up with ALSF to raise funds for and awareness about childhood cancer, we’d be able to use our training as a bigger platform for a much more important cause.
Helping children who are fighting cancer.
Helping the real heroes.
Some eight years ago, I began my journey as an undergraduate student at Western Michigan University. It was at WMU where I met and became friends with a group of guys – from all walks of life and all corners of the state -- that to this day I consider the best of friends. In more recent years, several of us have taken a bigger interest in distance running. When one of my best friends, and current Team Lemon teammate, started inspiring everyone around him by completing several marathons – and completely changing his lifestyle – we all took notice. In discussing future plans this past fall, it became obvious we all wanted to make a joint commitment to running in the same race while teaming up with a non-profit organization.
Enter ALSF.
In recent years, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances around us have been impacted by childhood cancer. A mentor’s son is battling it; a cousin’s daughter is fighting it. After doing some research, we began to realize how badly an organization like ALSF needs our help.
Kids do get cancer.
People need to know.
But only a fraction of funds spent on research in the U.S. is funneled toward pediatric cancer.
People need to know.
When confronted with the task of picking which non-profit organization with which to team up, it was a no brainer. Team Lemon was the perfect fit.
Since January 3rd, my three buds and I have been training for the Memorial Day weekend marathon. And as we continue to run each day for the next 3.5 months, we know we’re running for something bigger than personal accomplishments or physical fitness. We’re running to beat childhood cancer. We’re running for the 12,000 children in the U.S. who are diagnosed with cancer every year. We’re running for Alexandra “Alex” Scott, and the social movement she inspired.
And we’re running for Team Lemon.
We always did like to be part of the team.
>> Stay updated on their efforts here!
Among the members of Team Lemon are three best friends training for the 2011 Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, MI. We invited them to share their story as part of our blog.
Written by: Christopher Sell
I love being part of a team.
The opportunity to share your pursuit of a goal with others has always made the effort and dedication an invaluable journey.
So naturally, when thinking about running a marathon, I decided joining a team was the way to go. Making a commitment to run every week for months on end is admirable. But still, I was left with a conundrum.
Running 26.2 miles is an accomplishment.
Fighting cancer as a child?
That’s beyond admirable. That’s more than an accomplishment.
That’s heroic.
And that’s why my three best friends and I decided to team up with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) and join Team Lemon as we train for the 2011 Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, MI. Because we understood that running 26.2 miles is a significant investment, but by teaming up with ALSF to raise funds for and awareness about childhood cancer, we’d be able to use our training as a bigger platform for a much more important cause.
Helping children who are fighting cancer.
Helping the real heroes.
Some eight years ago, I began my journey as an undergraduate student at Western Michigan University. It was at WMU where I met and became friends with a group of guys – from all walks of life and all corners of the state -- that to this day I consider the best of friends. In more recent years, several of us have taken a bigger interest in distance running. When one of my best friends, and current Team Lemon teammate, started inspiring everyone around him by completing several marathons – and completely changing his lifestyle – we all took notice. In discussing future plans this past fall, it became obvious we all wanted to make a joint commitment to running in the same race while teaming up with a non-profit organization.
Enter ALSF.
In recent years, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances around us have been impacted by childhood cancer. A mentor’s son is battling it; a cousin’s daughter is fighting it. After doing some research, we began to realize how badly an organization like ALSF needs our help.
Kids do get cancer.
People need to know.
But only a fraction of funds spent on research in the U.S. is funneled toward pediatric cancer.
People need to know.
When confronted with the task of picking which non-profit organization with which to team up, it was a no brainer. Team Lemon was the perfect fit.
Since January 3rd, my three buds and I have been training for the Memorial Day weekend marathon. And as we continue to run each day for the next 3.5 months, we know we’re running for something bigger than personal accomplishments or physical fitness. We’re running to beat childhood cancer. We’re running for the 12,000 children in the U.S. who are diagnosed with cancer every year. We’re running for Alexandra “Alex” Scott, and the social movement she inspired.And we’re running for Team Lemon.
We always did like to be part of the team.
>> Stay updated on their efforts here!
February 16, 2011
