Guest Blogger: Liz Scott, Co-Executive Director of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, on our Charity by Design Partnership

To commemorate the launch of the Zest for Life bangle, we’re excited to welcome Liz Scott, Co-Executive Director of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), as a guest blogger. ALSF was founded by her daughter, Alexandra, who after her own cancer diagnosis, wanted to raise money for other children in the same position. Below Liz discusses the mission of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and how partnerships like ours help raise awareness and funds for the battle against childhood cancer.

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Hello, my name is Liz Scott, and I am pleased to be guest blogging for Alex and Ani’s Charity by Design. Some of you may be familiar with me through my work at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer, where I am the Co-Executive Director alongside my husband, Jay. If you are still reading this, you may be wondering why exactly I am telling you all of this. The reason is simple; last week Alex and Ani unveiled a new bangle – Zest for Life – where a portion of the proceeds benefits Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and our fight against childhood cancer.

What a perfect match for a collaboration. Both of our organizations are champions for making positive change, and perhaps the more obvious – we both have “Alex” in our names! Our Alex refers to someone near and dear to my heart – my daughter, Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who was diagnosed with cancer just before her first birthday, which she bravely battled until her death at the age of 8 in 2004.

From the time that Alex was diagnosed, there was never a time when she was cancer free, but if this experience has taught us anything, it was to harness the positive energy and live each moment as it came. Alex taught us this time and time again, and when she received a treatment that made her feel better, her first request was to set up a lemonade stand to raise money to help doctors help other kids, just like they had helped her. Alex’s front yard lemonade stand would turn into a national movement, with supporters hosting stands from coast to coast. In her lifetime, Alex’s stands, along with the help of many supporters would raise over $1 million, and now continues through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation where, to date, we’ve raised more than $80 million and funded over 450 childhood cancer research projects across North America.

Best of all, the research projects we’re funding are making a difference and helping kids with cancer. For example, one of our researchers recently discovered a genetic predisposition that can cause babies to be highly susceptible to developing leukemia and is now looking at a way to replace the harmful gene with a healthy one, ultimately sparing babies from a diagnosis. Amazing, right? This is the kind of impact that support of our Foundation is helping to make possible.

To learn more ways to get involved in the fight against childhood cancer, read about all of our funded research projects and our inspiring childhood cancer heroes, I encourage you to check out our website, AlexsLemonade.org. We are incredibly grateful for the support of Alex and Ani’s Charity by Design and we hope you’ll wear the Zest for Life bangle as a citrusy sweet reminder that when life hands you lemons – you have the power to make lemonade!

Thank you for making a positive change in your lives and the lives of others!

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Want to support the mission of this amazing foundation? Through December 2015, 20% of proceeds received by Alex and Ani from selling the Zest for Life Bangle, with a minimum donation of $25,000, will be donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand to help raise money and awareness of childhood cancer causes, primarily research into new treatments and cures.

Shop the Zest for Life Charm Bangle.