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Doing Good Together Newsletter |  |
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Summer means lemonade stands on the
neighborhood street corner. This year, however, your
family can give this happy summertime tradition a
twist. You can use the event to teach your kids the joy
that comes from helping others. Two special
websites, described below, explain how easy it is for
you and your kids to make a
positive difference.
Jenny Friedman, Executive Director
Make a Difference...
Photo: Sunkist -Take a Stand
Talk About It...
Learn About It...
Photo:Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand
"Giving kids clothes and food is one thing, but it's much more important to teach them that other people besides themselves are important, and that the best thing they can do with their lives is to use them in the service of other people."
Dolores Huerta, cofounder of the United Farm Workers of America
Four-year-old Alexandra Scott had been through a lot in her short life. She was diagnosed with cancer before her first birthday, and her doctors felt that her treatment options had been exhausted. But an experimental treatment, recommended by a new physician, led to a dramatic decrease in her pain and discomfort. It was at that point, in January 2002, that Alex first mentioned to her mom, Liz Scott, that she'd like to have a lemonade stand. The following summer it became clear why she was so determined. "I'm not going to keep the money," Alex told her mother. "I'm giving the money to the hospital so they can help kids like they helped me." Liz told DGT that she was careful to keep Alex's expectations reasonable, but thanks to a small article about her in the local paper, that first lemonade stand, held in the front yard of their Connecticut home, raised $2,000 to research a cure for pediatric cancer. The next year (the family was now living in Philadelphia), a feature story in the Philadelphia Inquirer helped attract $12,000 in donations. The entire family was stunned by the generosity of their community. There and then, a movement was born. Soon, families around the country were hosting lemonade stands to raise money for Alex's cause. She set the ambitious goal of raising one million dollars. Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), the nonprofit created as an outgrowth of her idea, reached that goal in the summer of 2004. Just two weeks later, Alex passed away. Since that time, thanks to the continued support of Alex's family, which includes her three brothers, ALSF has continued to prosper and has now raised over $25 million dollars in additional revenue, funding over 100 research projects nationwide. In her conversation with DGT, Liz said that not every venture will turn into a multimillion dollar nonprofit, but she doesn't think that's a reason to hold back when a family member has an idea about how to make a difference. When Liz told Alex she was unlikely to raise very much money at that first lemonade stand, her daughter responded, "I don't care. Every little bit helps." If everyone took that attitude, says Liz, we'd realize that when families work together for the common good, it's always - by its very definition -- a success.
Now you have a new and effortless way to raise money for Doing Good Together. Every time you use Yahoo!'s GoodSearch.com as your search engine, they'll donate a penny to us. Simply go to the site and choose Doing Good Together as the charity of your choice. In addition, if you do your online shopping through the Yahoo! online mall, GoodShop.com, (where you can access more than 900 of your favorite online retailers), a percentage of your purchases will go to us, too. You pay the same price you normally would, but a donation goes to DGT! Photo: GoodSearch
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