Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation first began in 2000, when a then 4-year-old cancer patient named Alex voiced a simple wish - she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help "her doctors" find a cure for all kids with cancer. The idea was put into action when Alex held her very first lemonade stand on her family’s front lawn in July of that same year. For the next four years, despite her deteriorating health, Alex held an annual lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer research. Alex raised a great deal of money through her annual stands, but in the early months of 2004, she set what to some seemed like an unreachable goal – Alex wanted to raise $1 million. Though her health was failing, Alex was determined to reach her goal, and when her parents asked how she would do it, she just said – “if people all around the country hold lemonade stands and send in their money, I think I can do it.” Alex was right, and during the weekend of her last lemonade stand in her neighborhood, thousands of volunteers of all ages from all corners of the country held lemonade stands, propelling Alex and her cause to reach $1 million. Shortly following, on August 1, 2004 Alex ultimately lost her life to childhood cancer, but her legacy of hope continues to live on through volunteers young and old.

Since Alex held her first front yard lemonade stand Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has raised over $30 million, with nearly half of the funds originating from front yard lemonade stands like Alex’s. The money raised has been utilized to fund over 125 cutting-edge research projects, create a travel program to assist families who need to travel for treatment, and develop educational resources to help everyone touched by childhood cancer.