2024-2025 State Service Project
“Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation”
Alex’s Lemonade Stand is a foundation devoted to changing the lives of people affected by childhood cancer. The organization aims to raise awareness and inspire others to support the cause and cure childhood cancer, through funding different research initiatives. As childhood cancer funding is always hard to come by, they need all the help and support they can get to heal little heroes. Alex’s Lemonade Stand and the Michigan Association of Business Professionals of America, are partnering together to increase awareness and funds to support the efforts to defeat childhood cancer and make a difference that will last a lifetime.
About Alex
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) was founded by Alexandrea “Alex” Scott, a young girl who fought her own battle with cancer. At a young age, Alex held lemonade stands to donate to childhood cancer research to help other kids just like her. This grew very big very fast, and soon many others were holding their own lemonade stands with the same intentions of donating to Alex’s cause. Unfortunately, Alex lost her battle with cancer; however, she raised over a million dollars to help fund a cure for childhood cancer. Supporters from around the world still support Alex and her cause through various acts and continue to spread her legacy through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
VISION
Through this partnership, BPA members have the opportunity to engage in a plethora of benefits including, but not limited to:
Leadership & Project Management Skills: By organizing events and fundraisers to support ALSF and their mission, members will gain valuable leadership experience and learn project management skills in doing so.
Networking Opportunities: Members will be able to network with people working with ALSF such as volunteers, or even members in their own communities to help execute their events that support ALSF.
Personal Professional Development: Through participation in community service and other events, members have the opportunity to develop skills in marketing, public speaking, event planning, and financial management.
Compassion: Working with ALSF educates members and raises awareness of the difficulties faced by children with cancer, fostering empathy and compassion as well as the opportunity to learn about health-based non-profit organizations.
Sense of Accomplishment: Members will be able to look back on something that they organized and feel good about the work they did to support childhood cancer through ASLF.
How YouR Chapter Can Help
There are many ways to contribute to Alex’s mission to find a cure for childhood cancer. Feel free to use your imagination! Any donation, no matter how large or small, makes a difference in a child’s life and their battle with childhood cancer. Listed below is a small list with a few ideas to help support ALSF and their cause:
How to participate as an individual (or with a group)
Bracelet Making: Make 2 matching bracelets and donate 1 to a child on ALSF’s registry. You can show your support for Alex’s Lemonade Stand and surprise a kid with a cute matching bracelet.
Volunteer to read Alex’s biography to kids: Spread awareness of Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Alexandra Scott’s story.
Lemon-Themed Merchandise: Create t-shirts, mugs, or tote bags with a lemon design or ALSF logo to help spread awareness of their important mission.
Make a Care Package: Gather supplies to give to children undergoing treatment for cancer and their families. Some items you can add are nice cards, fun games, snacks, and candy.
Social Media: Use your social media to share about ALSF, its mission, and ways to get involved to make a difference and help find a cure for childhood cancer.
Host a Sporting Event: Host a sporting event for the community to get involved in and all proceeds go to childhood cancer. Players pay a small fee, and attendees also pay to watch. You can also sell concessions and talk to local businesses about donations for this event as well.
How to participate as a class or a school
The Million Mile: Anyone, anywhere can join in this flexible fitness challenge that lets you walk, run and cycle to help kids fight cancer! Get out there with friends and family to log miles, spread awareness, bring in donations to fund cutting edge research for childhood cancer during one of the largest Childhood Cancer Awareness Month events! Throughout the month of September, participants log miles through an app on their phone. There is also a chart available to log miles for younger children who may not have access to a smartphone. Classmates, friends, and family can create teams and work together to make a difference.
Change Childhood Cancer (Penny War): Have your school host a penny war battle to be part of ALSF’s coin collection pennies. Change Childhood Cancer is a program that collects spare change to help support Alex’s Lemonade Stand. You can host a simple coin drive in your classroom, or a fun twist on a coin drive is a penny war between classes. Classes donate coins to increase their points and put dollar bills in another classes’ jar decreases their points. All money raised goes to ALSF!
Lemonade Stand & Bake Sale: Setting up a lemonade stand to raise money for ALSF. This stand can also have pamphlets to hand out about ALSF, in order to raise awareness about their mission. A great way to increase sales would be to add baked goods to the lemonade stands as well.
Start a Lemon Club: A club that works with the organization to raise awareness. The main purpose of this club is to spread the purpose of ALSF and plan fundraisers. This club works with staff and receives help when planning events.
Partner with Local Restaurants: Work with local restaurants to organize a Lemonade Night, where some of the money spent by customers is donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand. This event raises money, but it can also help bring attention to the restaurant.
monthly ideas
September
School Supply Drive: Hold a donation drive to collect fun school supplies. Create care packages out of these supplies to donate to families of children undergoing cancer treatment.
Farmers Market: Host a farmers market to celebrate the start of fall. The money raised can be donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
October
Costume Contest: Host a costume contest in a school or in a community. Participants can buy a ticket to enter, and all money raised goes to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Pumpkin Carving Contest: Host a pumpkin carving contest in a school or community where participants have to buy a ticket to enter. The money raised from this contest goes to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Haunted House: Plan a haunted house for people in the community to enjoy. Participants can buy a ticket to enter, in order to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
November
Gratitude Notes: Create gratitude cards and encouraging notes to send to families with children undergoing cancer treatment. These cards can also be distributed to members in the community, along with information about Alex’s Lemonade Stand. This helps raise awareness of the foundation.
December
Gift-Wrapping Booth: Set up a booth, preferably working with a mall or store, where you offer to wrap gifts for a small charge. All funds raised can be donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Craft Booth: Set up a booth to sell homemade holiday crafts to people in a school or in the community.
January
Hot Chocolate Stand: Set up a hot chocolate stand, which is a fun winter twist on a lemonade stand. You can sell hot chocolate, candy canes, and other winter favorites.
Winter Gear Drive: Host a donation drive for winter gear. Donate collected items to families with children undergoing cancer treatment.
February
Valentine’s Day Cards: Create encouraging Valentine’s Day cards to give to children undergoing cancer treatment. Also, create cards with encouraging messages and information about Alex’s Lemonade Stand to distribute around the community.
March
Garden Planting: Offer to help businesses and members of the community by planting gardens wherever they would like, in exchange for a donation to Alex’s Lemonade Stand. This is a great way to celebrate the start of spring and fundraise for Alex’s Lemonade Stand!
Book Drive: Hold a donation drive for new or used books, especially children’s books. These books can be donated to children undergoing cancer treatment.
April
Movie Night: Hold a movie night for students at a school. Snacks can be sold at the movie night, and students have to purchase a ticket to attend.
Sport tournament: Organize a tournament for a popular sport at a school. Students can form teams and compete against each other. Students have to pay an entry fee to join, and all funds go to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
May
Teacher’s Appreciation Week: Host an event to celebrate teachers and all they do for the school. Hold a lemonade stand and a bake sale at the event to help raise awareness of Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Spring Festival: Have a spring festival with games and food for a school, or a community, to enjoy. Charge a small fee for entering the festival, or for participating in the games.
There are many ways to support Alex’s Lemonade Stand, some of which you can find directly on their website. Remember to get creative with your ideas and help cure childhood cancer!
Recognition and Awards
Community Involvement Award: Every year, Michigan BPA gives out this award at the State Leadership Conference to the chapter that has done outstanding work for our State Service Project, and made a significant impact on childhood cancer research through Michigan BPA and Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Proof of involvement will be submitted through the Michigan BPA website via Google Forms.
Torch Awards Program: By engaging in activities through the State Service Project, members may earn torch award points in the Leadership, Service, Cooperation, Love Hope Faith categories and earn themselves levels of recognition.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation offers Michigan BPA members the opportunity to broaden their skills in various categories; leadership, network building, community service etc. This also helps members build their resume for future use through a valuable act of community service. This partnership offers Michigan BPA members countless personal and professional growth opportunities.
Community Involvement Award
Chapters who participate in the state service project may apply for the Michigan BPA Community Involvement Award. By participating, your chapter will be eligible to be recognized at the state leadership conference.
Sign up to have a Lemonade Stand OR EVENT
Chapters are encouraged to set up lemonade stands or events throughout the school year to raise funds for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). Your chapter will receive assistance from an ALSF Fundraising Coach and you will receive an event kit. The event includes a wide variety of materials listed on the ALSF website.