Bridge residents holding sweet fundraiser
<p>Staff and residents at The Bridge Assisted Living are holding a lemonade stand to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, an organization that raises funds for the fight against cancer. (Photo by CAMERON RASMUSSON)</p>
SANDPOINT — A somewhat older group is aiming to do a little good using a popular childhood moneymaker.
Residents of The Bridge At Sandpoint will be serving up a nice, cold lemonade outside the senior home this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Set to take place just outside the facility from 9 a.m. to around 5 or 6 p.m., The Bridge residents and staff will use the money to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand, an organization that raises funds for the fight against cancer. There will be no set cost for the lemonade. Instead, visitors can pay with a donation of their choosing.
“The residents are really excited about helping out and getting involved with the community,” The Bridge activities director Angie Aller said.
The idea came about from Aller’s personal life. She and her kids did something similar in 2009. According to Aller, the day originally started as a learning moment for them.
“This was just a way I wanted to help my kids experience giving back to the community early on,” she said.
The day ended up being more than an educational experience, bringing in more than $1,000 for charity.
Aller hopes to replicate that success with the weekend lemonade stand activity, and it promises to be an entertaining event for everyone involved. The Bridge residents are looking forward to manning the lemonade stand or holding signs advertising the endeavor along Division Avenue. Aller said people can expect to see plenty of yellow balloons and decoration, lending a festive atmosphere to the lemonade vending.
Speaking of festive atmosphere, the crew will have a special lemonade stand just for the occasion. In fact, it’s the same one that Aller and her kids used in 2009.
“There will just be a bigger group of people using it this time,” Aller said.
As an Alex’s Lemonade Stand event, residents don’t even have to drop by to help the cause — that is, if they don’t care about missing out on a refreshing beverage. All one has to do is drop by www.alexslemonade.org and click on “Find stand or event” under the “Get involved” pull-down menu. Then search for “team bridge” in the keyword field (be sure to either enter the correct date for the event or remove the default entry altogether). From there, you can access the event profile and donate over the Internet.
However, it will likely be more fun to pay a visit, grab a lemonade and enjoy the afternoon.
“We’ve taken a look and it’s supposed to be good weather,” Aller said. “We’re praying that will be the case.”