Lemonade Girl's Legacy Keeps Growing
Alex Scott, the brave little girl who decided to fight childhood cancer by selling lemonade and donating the proceeds, lost her personal battle against the disease almost two years ago, but the movement she started continues to grow.
Alex gave the money her stand made to pediatric cancer research.
On The Early Show Tuesday, Tracy Smith told Alex's story, and Alex's parents, Liz and Jay, and two of her three brothers, Patrick and Eddie, updated co-anchor Harry Smith on how strongly the movement has caught on, as the battle against pediatric cancer is waged one cup of lemonade at a time. Alex's youngest brother, Joey, is too young to appear on the show.
To see Tracy's report and Harry's interview,
.For information on holding your own "Alex's Lemonade Stand Day" to help the cause, click here.
This is the sixth year since Alexandra "Alex" Scott first set up a lemonade stand at her home in the Philadelphia suburb of Wynnewood to raise money for pediatric cancer research. She was only four at the time. That night, as she lay in bed exhausted, she said "This is the best thing that ever happened to me."
Alex captured the hearts of people all over the country, inspiring them to start their own lemonade stands, and donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to pediatric cancer research.
She raised so much money that, for 2004, she set an ambitious goal: $1 million. Though Alex died in August 2004, at the age of 8, "Alex's Lemonade" managed to hit that mark.
Liz worried that when Alex died, interest in her work fighting pediatric cancer might die with her. But in 2005, the foundation the family set up raised over $4 million."Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation" has raised more than $6 million in all for pediatric cancer research. Her first stand in 2000 netted over 2,000 dollars. By 2003, the total was 10 times that.
Since Alex's first stand, there have been more than 4,000 such stands across the country.
Jay told Harry Smith: "We have our (fundraising) kickoff weekend for the year June 9-11. We call it, 'Lemonade Days,' and we'll have a couple of thousand lemonade stands happening around the country during that weekend."
Jay added that a line of bottled "Alex's Lemonade" will be hitting stores shortly. Pink and yellow will be available. "It's just amazing what's gone from our front yard to international," Jay remarked.
Alex battled neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, since infancy. A week before her first birthday, a malignant tumor was found on her spine. Doctors told her parents Alex would never walk, but she was determined to and, practicing on a walker, then braces, eventually she did.
It was the first of many times that Alex Scott would defy everyone's expectations.