The first week of May is busy around the virtual halls of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) and the social media world. 

Every year, May is the month we go gray and recognize Brain Tumor Awareness Month. During the first week of the month, we celebrate Nurses Week, as well as Teacher Appreciation Week. This year, we also participated in Giving Tuesday Now, asking supporters to help us provide more resources to families facing childhood cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also during this week of May, the Childhood Cancer Data Lab (CCDL) hosted its first-ever virtual training for childhood cancer researchers, who want to learn how to use their data and the CCDL to accelerate their research.

And of course, we end the weekend with Mother’s Day on May 10. 

For this feel-good Friday, we celebrate the researchers, nurses, teachers and mothers who make the world a better place every day. 

1.    Pivoting Research During a Pandemic
With stay-at-home orders in place across much of the United States, research labs have also been locked down separating scientists from their ongoing experiments. However, the CCDL, funded by ALSF, is working to train researchers on how to better analyze and access the data produced by their experiments. This pivot is ensuring that childhood cancer research continues to progress forward, one data set at a time. And that is something we can all feel good about. 

2.    Meet One of Alex’s Nurses
Nurses play a critical role in the lives of families facing childhood cancer. ALSF founder Alex Scott had several favorite nurses. One of those nurses was Lisa. Lisa was not just a nurse, she was also a childhood cancer survivor. In the story book, Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand, Lisa is featured in one of the drawings. Jay, Alex’s dad, shares more about Lisa in this blog post. 

3.    Teachers Fighting Childhood Cancer 
Teachers have always been an important set of ALSF supporters. In classrooms all across the country (and even around the world!) teachers have led the charge in teaching their students compassion, math, language arts and event planning all through hosting lemonade stands for ALSF. Some schools, like Van Sciver Elementary in Haddonfield, NJ, have been supporting ALSF since nearly the beginning. 

To teachers everywhere: thank you for the amazing support you’ve given ALSF and for the amazing lessons you continue to teach your students! 

4.    Hero Moms
If you asked any hero mom — those mothers with children battling childhood cancer — who their heroes were, they would each have the same answer: my children.

Motherhood is one of the toughest jobs around. Toss childhood cancer in the mix and the entire journey of motherhood changes. Some of our Hero Moms shared their wisdom from motherhood and childhood cancer on the ALSF blog. These lessons remind each of us, just how important all the moms in our lives are — and how hard they work to make sure we can stop and have a feel-good moment every day of the week. 

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is launching a social media campaign inspired by ALSF founder Alex Scott’s positive outlook in times of uncertainty. We want to know how you are making lemonade out of lemons during this time - whether by learning new skills, getting creative, connecting with family or friends through video chat or doing something else that puts a sweet smile on your faces! However you're making lemonade out of this situation, we want to know! Share your special moments with us on social media using the hashtag #MakeAlexsLemonade. 

Everyone can make a difference in the fight for cures for childhood cancer! While we are all home now, we can still work together. Sign up for the Virtual End Childhood Cancer Walk/Run on May 23, and together, we can help families now who need our support!