When 4-year-old Alex Scott began telling her parents about her wish to hold a lemonade stand, they thought it was cute. It was January and too cold to host a lemonade stand. Liz recalls asking Alex, “What is it you would possibly want to buy?”

Alex did not want a new toy or a treat. Alex wanted other kids with cancer to feel better like she did. When she finally hosted her lemonade stand a few months later, Alex took the first step towards her dream. Alex’s first lemonade stand raised over $2,000!

While we know that Alex’s story is extraordinary; we also believe that all children are extraordinary. Kids have a natural ability to care for one another, endless imaginations, creativity and energy! Here are nine ideas for service projects that kids can do to help other kids battling childhood cancer:

1. Plan a Lemonade Stand
Warmer days are just ahead and it’s never too early to start Lemonade Stand planning! You can host a lemonade stand anytime or anywhere. Have a pop-up lemonade stand in your front yard or plan to host a stand at your school, park or community event. If you are free June 1-9, join ALSF and supporters all around the world for ALSF’s 15th annual Lemonade Days! Registration is open now! 

2. Plan a Hot Chocolate Stand
On colder days, switch out the lemonade for hot chocolate! Host a stand at the local ice skating rink and donate the proceeds to ALSF. Want more cold weather ideas? We’ve got you covered here. 

3. Declare a Lemonade War at Your School
Let your children’s teachers know that they can join The Great Lemonade War! Every school is invited to participate! This contest, inspired by the book The Lemonade War, by Jacqueline Davies, challenges schools around the country to compete against each other to raise the most money through a lemonade stand project or other event. The winning school will receive prizes including an author visit. Declare a Lemonade War here.

4. Battle of the Classes
Battle of the Classes is a fun way to get middle school students competing against each other for a great cause. Two long-time participants, Paxon Hollow Middle School and Haverford Middle School, outside of Philadelphia, hosted their 16th Annual Potter Cup this January. Together, the schools raised over $37,000 last year!

Host your own Battle of the Classes! Learn more here.

5. Have an Alex’s Lemonade Stand-themed Birthday Party
Celebrate your child’s birthday—Alex’s Lemonade style! Instead of juice boxes, serve up fresh lemonade and lemonade-themed treats. Do a fun craft like stamping with lemons (our Pinterest page has lots of ideas!) Ask guests to bring donations for ALSF instead of gifts—ensuring that other kids get more happy birthdays, too! 

6. Sell your Old Toys and Books
Maybe you’ve gotten on a purge kick for the New Year and have been inspired by Marie Kondo to get rid of all the things that no longer give you joy. Instead of throwing them away, your kids can help you plan a garage sale or list your items on a website like Poshmark or eBay and give the proceeds to ALSF! (Bonus: noting that your sale benefits a great charity can help drive sales!) 

7. Share the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Book with your Class, Scout Troop or other Group.
Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand is the perfect storybook to introduce your community to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Plan story time at school, donate the book to your classroom library or bring the book in for show and tell! You can get a copy here.

8. Be a Champion
Raising young athletes? Turn them into Champions, like Mallory Brodnik, whose sister Kelly, passed away in 2018 after a battle with osteosarcoma. In an effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against childhood cancer, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology‘s basketball center, Mallory is dedicating her senior season to all kids battling the disease as a Champion for Kids with Cancer. Mallory will accept donations and pledges for every point she scores during the 2018-2019 girls’ basketball season. Sign up to be a Champion here. 

9. Apply to the ALSF Leadership Academy 

ALSF’s Student Leadership Academy (SLA) is held each July at Villanova University, outside of Philadelphia. High school and college students learn about leadership, fundraising, childhood cancer research and gain valuable insight into how they can make a difference. The week-long experience also includes an attendee-hosted lemonade stand—making the Leadership Academy the perfect way for big kids to be reminded how much a team of dedicated people can truly change the world!

Want more ideas? Head here.