Medford, NY: Local Family Raises Over $3000 for Alex's Lemonade Stand

Alex's Lemonade Stand started out as a true lemonade stand run by Alexendra Scott, a little girl suffering from neurablastoma-- a type of childhood cancer. She wanted to raise money for cancer research to help find a cure for other kids that also had cancer. Alex appeared on many television shows, including Oprah, talking about her lemonade stand and charitable efforts. Soon, a charity effort swept the nation, with families, organizations and even corporations running Alex's Lemonade Stands to raise money for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation . Sadly, Alex passed away in August of 2004 at the tender age of eight. However, her legacy lives on.

On June 11, 2011, Danielle Hofmann and her family held an Alex's Lemonade Stand in her front yard of their house in Medford, NY. They held the same event in 2010, as per the request of Danielle's five-year-old son, Alex. At their first Alex's Lemonade Stand, the Hofmann family raised $880. For 2011, Danielle set a goal for her family to raise $1,500.

Many of Danielle's friends and family pitched in to help raise money. A friend that owns a gardening company gave her a basket and suggested that she hold a raffle. Soon, many different businesses were donating prizes to raffle off: Mary Kay products, Pampered Chef gift baskets, a gift basket from her son's karate dojo, even vacations from a local travel agency . Soon, the Hofmann family was over $1000 in donations (and raffle tickets) before the event even started.

An avid cook, Danielle created a wide variety of baked goods to sell along with the lemonade. Friends and family made baked goods for the fundraiser as well, a steady stream of people dropping off cookies, brownies, cakes and more the night before the Hofmann's Alex's Lemonade Stand. All the while, people were donating money online and through their cellular devices via text.

Thanks to FaceBook and other types of word-of-mouth, people all over the United States learned about the Hofmanns' efforts to raise money for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Donations came in from far and wide: Florida, Arizona, Minnesota, Virginia and other places far from the Hofmanns' home on Long Island. People looked into their hearts and reached into their pockets, making donations between $1 and $100.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not cooperate with the Hofmann family on the day of Alex's Lemonade Stand. Despite the rain, supporters showed up in droves. Danielle's baked goods virtually flew off the table and lemonade coolers were constantly refilled. The lockbox and donation containers were overflowing with bills. People laughed and huddled together under tents while children splashed in puddles and played in the rain.

When all was said and done, the Hofmann family didn't meet their $1,500 goal... They completely blew it out of the water. The total raised came to a whopping $3,004, with donations still coming in weeks after the close of theirAlex's Lemonade Stand event.

The Hofmanns look forward to doing their third annual Alex's Lemonade Stand in June of 2012, and raising even more money for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.