The June afternoon sun beats down on the car park at Boyd Homes’ Virginia Beach office, but nobody seems to mind the heat. Cars pull up to the makeshift drive-thru station where staff members pour fresh lemonade into plastic cups, accepting donations with the same ease they’d offer directions to a visitor. Children from nearby communities have set up their own stands, complete with handmade signs and sticky fingers from sampling their product. It’s the kind of scene that plays out across America every summer, except here, every sip served carries the weight of hope for families facing childhood cancer.
This simple ritual – sharing lemonade on a hot day – has become one of the most recognisable symbols of the fight against childhood cancer, thanks to a remarkable eight-year-old girl named Alexandra ‘Alex’ Scott. Diagnosed with neuroblastoma before her first birthday, Alex started her first lemonade stand in 2000 at age four, determined to raise money so doctors could help other children with cancer. By the time she passed away in 2004, Alex had raised $1 million from her front-yard stands.
Today, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has raised over $300 million and funded more than 1,500 research projects across nearly 150 institutions in the United States and Canada. What started as one little girl’s determination to help other children has grown into a movement that proves the most profound changes often begin with the smallest gestures.
When the Cause Hits Close to Home
For the team at Boyd Homes, this year’s fundraising campaign carries particular weight. ‘This campaign is a special one for our team, since cancer has impacted us directly in many ways,’ said Stephanie Drake, Marketing Manager at Boyd Homes.
When employees and residents heard about the planned fundraiser, stories began emerging. A maintenance worker whose nephew had battled leukaemia. A property manager who’d watched a colleague’s child go through treatment. Residents who’d moved to Boyd Homes communities specifically because they’d lost their previous home to medical bills. Each story reinforced why the company’s $2,500 fundraising goal mattered to everyone involved.
Childhood cancer affects about 15,780 children aged 0-19 annually in the US, meaning nearly every community has families navigating this challenge. Federal funding for childhood cancer research accounts for only about 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget, making grassroots fundraising efforts like Boyd Homes’ campaign essential for advancing research and supporting families.
Making Generosity Easy
Boyd Homes designed their fundraising approach around accessibility and connection. The Drive-Thru Lemonade Fundraiser today allows busy families to contribute without disrupting their day – pull up, get a cool drink, make a donation and continue with school pick-ups or grocery runs. The setup removes barriers that might prevent people from participating, recognising that good intentions often get derailed by complicated logistics.
Each Boyd Homes community is also hosting Lemonade Stand socials throughout June, complete with games and refreshments. These events create space for neighbours to meet, children to play and families to learn about Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s work. The casual format encourages participation from people who might feel intimidated by formal fundraising galas but are happy to chat over lemonade while their children play.
Nobody needs to write a large cheque or commit to ongoing involvement. A family can stop by, contribute what they can afford and leave knowing they’ve supported research that could help save a child’s life. The cumulative impact of these modest contributions – a few dollars here, a ten-dollar donation there – shows how community fundraising works.
Small Donations, Big Impact
Boyd Homes’ $2,500 goal might seem modest, but it represents meaningful support for families facing childhood cancer. Children’s charities emphasise that community involvement and donations directly impact clinical care, support services and research that leads to better treatments.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation uses donations to fund early-career scientists and established researchers developing new treatments for childhood cancers. The foundation also provides direct support to families, helping with expenses that insurance doesn’t cover and connecting them with resources during treatment. Every dollar raised by Boyd Homes goes directly to this work – no administrative fees, no overhead costs deducted.
The foundation’s track record speaks to the power of accumulated small donations. Since Alex’s first stand, the organisation has funded research at institutions like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, supporting both groundbreaking studies and the practical support families need during treatment.
Community fundraising efforts like Boyd Homes’ campaign also serve another crucial function: they keep childhood cancer visible in public conversation. Unlike adult cancers, childhood cancer receives relatively little attention or funding. Grassroots efforts ensure that families affected by childhood cancer know their communities care.
Building Community Through Generosity
The Boyd Homes fundraiser reveals something important about how communities form and strengthen. When neighbours, staff and residents come together around a shared cause – especially one as universally compelling as helping children with cancer – they create connections that extend beyond the immediate fundraising goal.
Drake mentioned that the campaign allows Boyd Homes to ‘build communities that not only provide beautiful homes but also foster a spirit of community giving and service.’ True communities develop when residents feel connected to each other and to purposes larger than their individual concerns.
The lemonade stand format facilitates these connections naturally. Children learn about helping others while having fun. Adults engage in conversations they might not otherwise have. Families new to the area meet their neighbours in a relaxed setting. The fundraising goal provides structure, but the community-building happens organically through shared participation.
As cars continue pulling up to Boyd Homes’ lemonade stations throughout June, each transaction represents more than a simple exchange of money for refreshment. It’s a small act of faith – faith that communities can make a difference, that modest contributions matter and that something as ordinary as sharing lemonade can become a source of hope for families facing extraordinary challenges. Alex’s legacy reminds us that the most powerful changes frequently begin with the smallest gestures, one glass of lemonade at a time.
