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Local Lemonade Stand Supports Breast Cancer Research
July 2008
Meeting 10-year-old Grace Turley and her friends one is immediately struck by their collective exuberance. These young women command a room with their stream of giggles and rat-a-tat-tat staccato conversations. And when asked about their future plans for their lemonade stand, they all chime in with ideas for making it bigger and better.
“Since water first met lemons and sugar, kids have been setting up lemonade stands to raise money, usually to purchase some wanted item for themselves. But in March 2007, when Grace learned that her mother LuAnn had been diagnosed with breast cancer, she and her friends decided to set up a lemonade stand to raise money for breast cancer research. Along with her older sister Elyse, Grace recruited her friends Kate, Allison, and Rachel Halloran, and Kaitlyn and Taylor Kimbrough to work at the stand after school and on weekends.
“While March in Houston isn’t the hottest month of the year, the young women found a receptive and thirsty public in their Clear Lake neighborhood once word got out that they were raising money for a good cause. Clientele included yardmen, house painters, teachers, astronauts and classmates. Many customers left the girls substantial tips. While Ms. Turley was undergoing treatment at M. D. Anderson, the girls worked tirelessly to meet their goal of earning $100. They painted signs and affixed them along with streamers to their bikes to advertise. When they told a teacher about their project, they were allowed to say a few words during the school’s morning announcements, bringing about a boost in business. Within a few months, they had met their goal and reset the bar even higher: to $150.
“More than a year after her diagnosis, Mrs. Turley has a great prognosis and is feeling well. But her daughters and their friends have no plans to stop raising money. In the midst of another hot Texas summer, the girls are planning to make T-shirts and sell cookies along with their lemonade. Mrs. Turley can only look on with pride while they huddle together and excitedly plan for the future. “One thing for certain, they feel empowered in the face of cancer, and that is one of the greatest gifts I can give my daughters!” she says. Through their hard work and persistence, these incredible young ladies are proving that they can have fun, raise money and join M. D. Anderson in Making Cancer History®.