DE PERE, Wis (WFRV) – A lemonade stand with a special mission returns for its second year.
Ava Winters hatched the idea for the ‘Lemon Market’ last year inspired to give back by the doctors who she said provided amazing care for her sister Ella as she battled cancer. Last year, they were able to raise over $14,000 for Children’s Wisconsin after going into the fundraiser with a modest goal of raising $500.
This year, Ava and her friends have set an ambitious $15,000 goal for their two-day fundraiser.
“It just feels so good that people care and want to help, help us help other people,” Ella told Local 5 News. “To inspire people who might feel like they’re just one person but anybody can make a big difference.”
This year, their fundraiser is in the parking lot of ‘Urban Battlefield’ on American Boulevard in De Pere. The operations specialist said his brother battled cancer, so he was happy to host the ‘Lemon Market’ fundraiser when they reached out.
“So cool to see all these kids looking to get involved and support their peers and other kids in the community,” said operations specialist Drew Knapp.
The fundraiser continues on Friday from noon until 6 p.m. in the ‘Urban Battlefield’ parking lot. They raised about $5,500 on day one and hope to reach that $15,000 goal on Friday.
In addition to lemonade, there’s baked goods, clothes, and other miscellaneous items at the fundraiser. All money raised will go towards Children’s Wisconsin, Ronald McDonald House, and help two local families pay for extra expenses like food and gas as they go through cancer battles.
“We are beyond grateful for the support from our family friends and community, they have carried us through it and we couldn’t do it without them,” said James and Stephanie Hungerford who are one of the families benefiting from the fundraiser. Their 3-year-old son Luke is battling cancer right now.
Ava’s sister Ella, who was one of the inspirations behind the fundraiser, also was there on Thursday afternoon. She’s been in remission since last September and on Thursday wore a t-shirt that said ‘In My Cancer-Free Era’ a nod to one of her favorite artists Taylor Swift.
“Try to keep going and smile when you can, friends and family and everybody will help you out and there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Ella said when asked what her advice would be to other kids battling cancer.
