When life hands you lemons … sell LemonAid!

Published 9:49 pm Tuesday, May 13, 2014

It doesn’t take a great salesman to hawk cold lemonade in the South in the month of July.

That’s why anyone can help raise money for the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters this year through the sixth annual Anthem LemonAid program.

Nearly $295,000 has been raised through the LemonAid program for the childhood cancer unit at CHKD since 2010. Participants — children, families, community groups and businesses — will host lemonade stands on the weekend of July 18-20 and sell lemonade for $1 per cup, with all of the money going toward CHKD.

Email newsletter signup

“Anthem LemonAid is a fun, community-wide event for people of all ages, not just kids,” said Jacklyn Banas, development officer for CHKD. “It is a great way to teach children the importance of philanthropy, while having fun and being creative.”

The need is great. According to CHKD, an average of 70 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed by the children’s hospital every year, and the hospital treats about 500 children battling cancer annually.

Last year was a record-breaking year for the LemonAid campaign, as it brought in more than $100,000 for CHKD. “We are hoping to raise even more this year,” Banas said.

The children’s hospital hopes to have about 800 stands across Hampton Roads. More than 100 have already registered.

And so participants won’t have to put their own capital into the venture, each participant receives a free LemonAid kit that includes drink mix, cups, a picture, signs, stickers and more.

Businesses will participate, too, with storefronts at local Walmart, Sam’s Club, Farm Fresh, Panera Bread and Kroger locations hosting LemonAid stands. Participants can host a stand at their own location or at one of the businesses.

For those who don’t want to stand in the July sun and sell lemonade, there’s an alternative. Online LemonAid stands can raise money, too, and will be active from registration until July 31. They can be personalized with pictures, messages and goal information.

A wrap-up celebration will take place from 7 to 10 a.m. July 21 at 94.9 The Point, 236 Clearfield Ave. in Virginia Beach. Participants can meet the station’s morning show disc jockeys, turn in LemonAid stand donations and enjoy breakfast treats.

For more information or to register, visit www.anthemlemonaid.com.