If you only read the headline, the story would be a simple one – thousands gathered on a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, California to raise funds and awareness for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and the battle against childhood cancer. But if you were anywhere in the vicinity of the culinary cook out to find cures on Sunday, November 6, 2011, you know that the story is far more complex.



Participating chefs, ALSF staff members, celebrities and attendees of L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade awoke to find a gloomy, rainy morning last Sunday. For a city that doesn’t experience much rain, the forecast and outlook was looking very wet. However, just as Alex was determined to hold her lemonade stand through rain or shine, everyone who was setting up the event arrived and began plan b immediately, rearranging tables, booths and of course tents to make the best of the circumstances. It surely was a rainy morning, and just when you thought that the day might turn out to be miserable, a patch of blue sky appeared and the rain started to lessen. By 10am, the sky was completely clear and it appeared as if it was going to be a beautiful day after all. And, it sure was.



By the time VIP guests started to arrive on Sunday, the pandemonium had subsided, and though there was still a little bit of mud to trudge through, everyone’s spirits couldn’t have been higher. As with the inaugural event last year, the food was delicious the auctions were exciting, and everyone had an amazing time. Some of the highlights of the afternoon included: emcee Jimmy Kimmel entertaining everyone rainy day humor; honorary hosts Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka addressing the crowd and sharing their support of the cause; Kirsten Vangsness, A.J. Cook and Joe Mantegna of Criminal Minds coming out and showing their support; several

Overall the event was attended by more than 1,000, raised over $400,000, and it surely was an event to remember from beginning to end. A special and heartfelt thanks go to Suzanne Goin, David Lentz and Caroline Styne for their dedication to helping achieve Alex’s dream. L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade wouldn’t exist and certainly wouldn’t be possible without them. Another group to thank are the sponsors who made the event possible – Volvo, Activision and Paramount Citrus. Thank you to everyone who attended or contributed in some way – we look forward to seeing you in 2012!

- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation