Inspired by local childhood cancer fighters, attendees raise $100,000 in matter of minutes to fund grant

(January 12, 2015) - Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer, hosted the Ninth Annual Lemon Ball, presented by Northwestern Mutual, Toys“R”Us & Volvo with support from Auntie Anne’s on Saturday, January 10, 2015, raising over $1 million, the most ever raised at a Foundation special event. Making the evening especially poignant, the funds raised at the gala propelled the Foundation to surpass the $100 million raised mark since founder Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004) set up her first front yard lemonade stand, a milestone in the Foundation’s history.

The Lemon Ball, an evening of cocktails, dinner, raffles, silent and live auctions and entertainment, brought together nearly 1,000 supporters of the Foundation’s mission at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. The evening celebrated the life and inspiration of Alex Scott, who famously announced her goal to raise $1 million to fight kids’ cancer in 2004. Now, just over 10 years later, the effort has exceeded the $100 million mark.

In addition to the milestone in funds raised, highlights from the evening included the award presentations to honorees Ivy & Stephen Cohn (Alex Scott Crystal Cup), Riley Gillespie (Stand Host of the Year) and the Fitzgerald family (Volunteers of the Year). As part of the live auction, 21-year-old philanthropic artist Jeffrey Owen Hanson from Overland Park, KS donated his “Sunday Morning” portrait, which raised $12,000. With lively bidding for his piece ping-ponging between two bidders, Hanson, a childhood cancer survivor, agreed to create another for an additional $12,000. All told, Hanson’s unmistakably styled pieces of art raised $24,000.

Among the more poignant moments of the evening was the Fund A Cure, which encourages supporters to contribute to funding a grant in honor of childhood cancer fighters. This year’s Fund A Cure honored the memory of two childhood cancer fighters who lost their lives in 2014, Dan Hammond and Hope Bertelsen. The families of Dan and Hope were present, spurring on the contributions, which totaled $135,000. Spontaneously, presenting sponsor Northwestern Mutual announced that they would match all Fund A Cure donations, pushing the final numbers raised to $270,000.

In addition to Hanson’s painting and Fund A Cure, the Live Auction raised $84,000 with items ranging from Liz Scott’s famous lemon cookies to an Ultimate Philly Sports Package. The silent auction, complete with over 200 items in categories including All Things Alex, Great Escapes, Entertainment, Sports and more, raised more than $70,355.

The evening, which acts as the unofficial kick off to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s fundraising year, culminated with cocktails, dessert and dancing to the sounds of Brandywine Valley Talent’s “Contagious.”

For more information and photos from the event, please visit www.TheLemonBall.org.

About Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancer is a general term used to describe cancer in children occurring regularly, randomly and sparing no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. Childhood cancer extends to over a dozen types of cancers and a countless amount of subtypes. Just a few of these cancer types include: Ewing’s sarcoma, glioma, leukemia, lymphoma, medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma, retinoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and Wilm’s tumor.  In the United States, childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15. Every day, approximately 250 kids around the world die from cancer, accounting for 91,250 losing their lives to the disease every year.

About Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $100 million toward fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 475 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit AlexsLemonade.org.