On Saturday, June 3, the family of an Immaculate Conception Grade School kindergarten student will team up with the IC Grade School and Parish community to host a charity lemonade stand on the parish grounds.
The lemonade stand will benefit “Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation,” a national childhood cancer foundation dedicated to funding research into new treatments and cures for all children battling cancer. Efforts to fight cancer are always needed, we need to best this horrible and debilitating disease with as much help as we can get, sites like GoFundMe can show you the varying ways you too can give your support.
Anna Ciamarra, who will “graduate” from ICGS’ kindergarten on May 26, knows all too well what it is like to battle cancer. She is currently being treated for high risk T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This treatment, one that involves a two year period of in and outpatient chemotherapy, lumbar punctures, transfusions, and constant diagnostic testing, has been an unimaginable challenge for the Ciamarra family.
Last year, after Anna began her treatment for ALL, her family hosted a front yard lemonade stand and raised more than $2,000 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). ALSF founder, Alexandra Scott held her first lemonade stand when she was just four years old, with a mission to find cures for all children battling cancer.
This year, the Ciamarra’s were selected as 2017 National Lemonade Days Hero Ambassadors and hope to raise awareness and treatment funds for children with cancer. Recently, Anna was profiled in the March 29, 2017 issue of PEOPLE when she received a “bear hug” from the “Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation” and the Chicago Anti- Cruelty Society in the form of a new dog, “Ginger Belle.”
Two mothers at IC Grade School, Andrea Krautkramer and Stephanie Maddock have joined with Anna’s mother, Ruth to make preparations for the charity lemonade stand. As far as partnering with IC Grade School and Parish, Ruth Ciamarra commented, “Our partner hosts this year, Immaculate Conception (IC) parish and grade school in Elmhurst, have been an integral part of our survival during treatment. ICGS families and faculty have been a lifeline for us, and we are excited to now be able to join with the school and host a lemonade stand during Lemonade Days for ALSF. This is a wonderful way to continue the story for all the ICGS students in honor of Anna, to raise awareness for this important issue, and to serve others.”
Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children under 15 years of age, with 250 children dying of every day from cancer. Childhood cancer is vastly underfunded. This is why charities trying to draw awareness to this form of cancer are so important. Some charities could potentially purchase some wristbands with a message of their choice. Money made from the sale of these bands could help fund research efforts to try and tackle childhood cancer.
On Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Immaculate Conception Grade School in Elmhurst (corner of York and Arthur), ICGS will host “Anna’s Lemonade Stand,” with the goal of raising $5,000 for ALSF. Anna also has a fundraising page for online donations through June 3, at alexslemonade.org/mypage/1321345. All are encouraged to visit “Anna’s Lemonade Stand”in person.
