By: Trish Adkins
Hosting a lemonade stand on a hot summer day is not only a great tradition, it is also a great way to help kids with cancer. Alex Scott, who founded Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, hosted her very first lemonade stand in her front yard. This stand led to more stands for Alex and inspired supporters of all ages to host stands too!
Those lemonade stands have helped raise more than $250 million for childhood cancer research, bringing together countless individuals, families and businesses to celebrate hope and possibility.
This year, things are different, but one thing is not: we all crave community and the shared mission of helping kids with cancer.
As a result, people everywhere have found creative ways to gather safely and distantly. From birthday party parades to graduation drive-by celebrations to the front yard lemonade stand, we’ve all worked to be together, even when several feet apart.
Here’s how you can host a drive-by lemonade stand:
- Pick a Date
Pick a date and time to have your stand. If you host your stand between August 1-9, you can participate in Lemonade Days, an annual tradition for ALSF! This week supporters everywhere host fundraisers and show the world, how together, we can do anything, including find cures for childhood cancer. Of course, you can also host your stand at any time. Consider a longer time frame than normal to help with crowd control and limit the number of people who visit at any one time.
- Register Your Fundraiser
Once you’ve picked your date, you can register your lemonade stand on the ALSF website! When you register, you will automatically create a fundraising page that is easy to share on social media. Customize the page with the details and location.
- Share Your Fundraiser
Share your ALSF fundraising page on social media, via text message and email. Change your Instagram profile web address to your page, for extra visibility. Tell the world where and when you are hosting and share the logistics of your fundraiser. Let everyone know what to expect and how you plan on keeping distant and safe.
- Get Creative with Lemonade Distribution
In order to keep things moving and safe, prepackage your lemonade. Whether you distribute packets of lemonade mix with small bottles of water, pre-poured lemonade with lids or bottles of lemonade, choose an option that is easy for grab and go!
- Consider Setting Up Multiple Pick-Up Spots in Your Front Yard
If you’ve got a few people in your household, consider putting each of your helpers at a different station in your front yard. Maybe one station is donation drop-off, another has lemonade for quick pick-up and another is a thank you station.
- Turn your stand into a lemonade parade
Who doesn’t love a parade? Ask your supporters to drive by in cars decorated in a lemonade theme. Maybe plan a lemonade car decorating contest and reward the winner with some swag from Alex’s Shop!
- Mask it Up Lemonade Style
Be safe with fun lemonade themed masks from the ALSF shop! ALSF has three different masks available in adult and youth sizes! Check out the Lemon Slice and Lemonade masks or the Lemonade and Lemons Face Buff. All shop sales support ALSF’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund to help families of children with cancer, so your purchase not only makes for a fun, themed fundraiser, but it also funds support for more families, too!
- Offer Pre-Paid or Virtual Cups
To minimize contact, suggest that your supporters donate in advance of the fundraiser. Be sure to thank them (which we know you know!)
- Add some more distant fun
Maybe your past lemonade stands have included crafts or extra lemonade treats. Pre-package crafts to-go, order cupcakes and ask your local bakery to individually wrap or grab some pre-wrapped lemon candy to sweeten the experience!
- Cheers for Everyone
Keep the energy levels high and applaud and cheer for every donor that stops by. Every single donation counts — and everyone deserves a reminder of how great they are. So, whoop it up when everyone stops by!
*Before any fundraiser, make sure to check for the most up-to-date guidelines from the CDC and local officials regarding COVID-19 in your area. We also require that all hosts please wear masks during their event. The safety of our supporters remains of utmost concern to ALSF.
Making Lemons into Lemonade for Kids with Cancer
Lemonade Days is an annual tradition at ALSF which celebrates our founder, Alex Scott, and her call to ask everyone to join the fight against childhood cancer. Although 2020 presents some unique challenges to the tried and true tradition of holding lemonade stands, we know that kids with cancer still need our help – now more than ever. We urge our supporters to join us August 1-9 by picking a day (or days) to host a virtual or social-distancing friendly fundraiser. There are plenty of ways to be part of the lemonade movement – get creative and have fun while supporting research into new cures for kids with cancer.
