Sisters Find Way to Raise Money for Pediatric Cancer in Pandemic
For each of the past six years, Jenna and Rebecca Blum have spent one June morning at the Chappaqua Farmers Market selling their freshly-squeezed lemonade to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand to fight childhood cancer.
They won’t happen this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic but the sisters have found another way to continue the tradition and help the charity.
They’re following the advice of their late maternal grandfather Papa Neal who helped inspire their passion for charity. It also didn’t hurt that he had a love of food and an appreciation for the simpler things in life.
“He was of the mindset that when life gave you lemons, you should make lemonade,” said Rebecca, who just completed her sophomore year at Horace Greeley High School.
So this Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m., Jenna and Rebecca are partnering with the Ash & Ale Pizza Truck from Village Social in Mount Kisco to have a “block party pizza pop-up” in front of their family’s Chappaqua home. The public must order online in advance by no later than 5 p.m. on Friday at the Ash & Ale website, and patrons will be assigned a time during the two-hour window for a socially distanced pick-up.
Best of all, 15 percent of the sales by the truck will be donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer. In the previous six years the sisters have raised more than $11,700.
For Jenna, who will be entering seventh grade in the fall, helping others is what it’s all about.
“To me, any small acts of kindness can have a big impact on somebody else,” she said. “Holding the door open for somebody who has their hands full or having a charity lemonade stand every year to raise money for childhood cancer, I think you can always have an impact on somebody else.”
There are five types of pizzas to choose from – Margherita, pepperoni, meatball, a four-cheese pizza and The Godfather (made with San Marzano tomatoes, soppressata, red onion, cherry peppers and provolone) along with salads, wings, meatballs and mac and cheese.
There will be, of course, three different types of lemonade – regular, blueberry and an alcoholic lemonade for adults.
Raising money for charity has been an important part of the sisters’ lives. They have also been part of the Great Chappaqua Bake Sale, which has raised thousands of dollars during the past decade to combat childhood hunger.
“I think it’s important for me to make other people’s lives better because I work to show the world that no matter how small you are, if you have a dream you can go through with it, you can help,” Rebecca said. “Any random acts of kindness can help the world out.”
To order from the Ash & Ale Pizza Truck for a Saturday pickup and raise money Alex’s Lemonade Stand, visit https://www.ashandaletruck.com/pizzapopupordering. To make a donation or find out more about the Blum sisters’ efforts, visit https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/2141629.
For any questions or more information, e-mail Rebecca Blum at rebeccablum23@gmail.com.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
