When life gives you lemons
Newman (pictured second from the right) and a group of her friends gathered together to raise money for childhood cancer.
Article by Kathy Dunker with photo by Amy Shanahan
Nikki Newman, an eighth grader at RHMS and Forest Park resident, recently hosted Alex’s Lemonade Stand in Castle Pines North (CPN) to raise money to fight childhood cancer. While attending summer camp last summer, Newman saw an interview with Katie Couric’s daughter who lost her father to colorectal cancer in 1998. The interview inspired Newman to make a difference.
Recognizing that it was in her power to help others, Newman did some research and put her efforts towards an organization called Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF).
The Foundation was started by a young child named Alex Scott, who battled cancer for most of her short life. Scott held a lemonade stand each year to raise money, and as news spread of this young girl and her dedication to helping other sick children, people everywhere were inspired to start their own lemonade stands, donating the proceeds to her cause.
When Scott passed away in 2004, her foundation had already raised $1 million. The Foundation continues today and provides grants toward cancer research, and provides care for childhood cancer patients and their families.
Since the first lemonade stand in 2000, the Foundation has raised more than $35 million with more than $12 million coming from other children hosting lemonade stands.
Newman and her friends solicited donations and on the day of the lemonade stand, they sold lemonade, lemon pastries, and lemon tattoos. Newman raised a total of $2,200 with $600 coming in from the lemonade stand alone.
“It was a lot of fun to do and I got close to my goal of $2,500,” said Nikki, “I’d like to do it again next year and every year until I go to college.”
Newman, a diabetic herself, has also participated in a number of fundraising activities for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). In fact, she serves as a youth ambassador for the organization.
To find out more about the JDRF, visit their website at www.jdrf.org. To find out more about the ALSF, visit their website at www.alexslemonade.org.
