Liv's Lemonade Stand

A couple of weeks ago, I read a post written by my friend Colleen over at Growin' a Home, about a sweet little lady named Alivia, better known to those close to her as "Liv".

When she should have been celebrating the beginning of her Kindergarten career, Liv and her parents were hit with the news that she had a 2 pound cancerous mass in her abdomen. She was immediately sent to San Francisco to have the mass, known as Wilms Tumor, removed and begin chemo and radiation treatments.

A social worker and Liv's doctor suggested that she be nominated for a Wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For Liv and her family, this was the perfect way to celebrate without a worry, Liv had beat her cancer and was able to enjoy her first class Disney vacation just as any other child would have!

Where does the Lemonde Stand come in? This excerpt from Liv's Lemonade Stand site says it all...

"Liv and her brothers, Dominic and Carlo, have been begging Mom and Dad for two years to have a lemonade stand at the park by our home. When asked what they might want to do with the money, Liv suggested we grant a wish for another Wish Family."

With the initial goal of raising $5,000, in hopes of fulfilling a wish for another deserving child, Liv and her family decided that any additional funds raised would go to the Children's Oncology Group, an organization that focuses their research on cancers found in children. The program conducts research on Wilms Tumor and is where Liv fought her battle and still participates today.

Since the Lemonade Stand was going to be held just a short drive from our home, we decided to load up our boys, and a couple of extras, and head over for a glass of lemon sweetness and make our donation.

Being as it was Memorial Weekend, the park was festively decorated in Red, White & Blue...

"Would you like some lemonade?" 

Poor little Ben had to stay in the stroller, we're only equiped to chase 3 boys at a time! But he was happy to hold his new magnet! 

After we got our lemonade, the boys had a great time playing in the park... there was a line at the corner the whole time we were there! 

Cole and R.J. were very excited to climb! 

After a long day of photo-ops, Liv was enjoying time on the playground with her friends and family.

Clayton loved the slides the best. 

On our way back to the car, we noticed the Drive Thru that was set up for donors on the go! Very creative! 

In Liv's Story, her parents call her, "an inspiration" for not complaining and not asking "Why?" while she was undergoing treatments. Liv is an even greater inspiration to the rest of us, by the size of her heart and consideration of others who are fighting difficult battles. One week prior to the big Lemonade Stand weekend, Liv had already raised over $2,000 towards her $5,000 goal! On June 7th, over a week after the big day, Liv, Bros & Co Lemonade had raised over $13,000!! Congratulations to Liv and her family for exceeding your goal and for bringing attention and light to families who are not sure where their journeys will bring them.

The national Make-A-Wish Foundation website notes that a wish is granted every 40 minutes! While that may seem like a lot, I am sure there are still many children out there who are waiting to have their wishes granted. Each of us is able to help grant a wish in some way, so have some fun with it, like Liv did... or check out these suggestions from donating money, time and talents to your airline miles, treasures or making a simle shopping trip. Help grant a wish today!