As the old saying goes, "When life hands you lemons, make some lemonade."
But for the thousands of families throughout Virginia and the Richmond area who battle with the devastating diagnoses, treatment and side effects of childhood cancer, sometimes those lemons make life just a little too sour.
This weekend however, individuals, families, friends and businesses are invited to help "put the squeeze" on childhood cancer during the 7th annual Anthem LemonAid, sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Children's Miracle Network.
"[Our partnership] with the Children's Miracle Network started two years into the event because it really meshed well with what we wanted to support as a company," said Scott Golden, corporate spokesman for Anthem.
"Not only does the event raise money for the treatment of pediatric cancer, which is a great cause, it also is another good way to get children involved in giving back to their communities while making it fun at the same time."
To help kick off the event, Anthem and the Children's Miracle Network will gather between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. today at the James Center where the first LemonAid stand will open, courtesy of childhood cancer survivors Shay Edmunds, 9, and Katie Zube, 12.
Last year, over 750 LemonAid stands generated more than $100,000 to benefit the treatment of childhood cancer. And with an upwards of 60 stands having signed up in just this past week alone, Anthem expects a total of more than 800 stands this year.
"We're hoping that if we continue to increase the number of stands we have, that we will continue to increase the amount of money raised," Golden said.
New to loyal LemonAid participants this year is the ability to get out of town relatives and friends involved through the efforts of Online Lemonade Stands. Richmond.com even has a virtual stand of our own where all Richmonders are invited to donate by clicking here.
Want to participate? Richmonders can still sign up to host their own LemonAid stand and schedule a time with Anthem to pick up the necessary ingredients.
Each participating LemonAid stand will receive a free kit that includes lemonade mix, cups, a pitcher, marketing materials including signs, stickers and much more. All you need to do is add water and ice.
"We have a lot of business engaged that are setting them up at their place of business and at a lot of the grocery stores around town," Golden said. "People will have them at community pools and I even know of some people who are using it as an opportunity to make a party out of it, turning it into a full day event."
Each stand will offer 12-ounce glasses of lemonade at $1 a piece with 100 percent of the proceeds going to benefit the treatment of childhood cancer at the two Children's Miracle Network Hospital members, the Children's Hospital and the VCU Children's Medical Center.
On Sunday, July 20 the Provident Bank Celebration will celebrate participant's efforts fittingly on the front lawn of the Children's Hospital between 4 and 6 p.m. with live entertainment from Radio Disney.
"This event has grown leaps and bounds," Golden said. "We have people from all over the state asking to set up LemonAid stands. So not only is it around the Richmond area but we are getting requests from people in Winchester, in Harrisonburg, in Roanoke –- and we just hope to keep the event growing."
The 7th annual Anthem LemonAid will take place from Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20 at various locations around Richmond. A kick-off event will be held today between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the James Center. The Provident Bank Celebration will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 20 on the front lawn of the Children's Hospital. To sign up for your own LemonAid stand or for a complete list of LemonAid stands around town, call (804) 228-5929 or visit childrensmiraclenetwork.net.
To donate to Richmond.com's online LemonAid stand, click here.