Lemonade, anyone?

Employees at the Hamilton Beach distribution center in Byhalia poured fresh lemonade Wednesday, Aug. 12, to support pediatric cancer research.

The site hosted an Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) fundraiser, bringing staff together to raise money for childhood cancer research and assist families going through pediatric cancer treatments.

The fundraiser has been embraced nationally after a four-year-old girl started selling lemonade during her fight against a cancer she had had for three years.

"The family came together and started to raise money by making lemonade, and then it just grew from there," said Fred Yancey, assistant director at the Byhalia facility.

The national movement began in 2000, when four-year-old Alexandra "Alex" Scott set up a front-yard lemonade stand to raise money for doctors to find a cure for childhood cancer. Before her passing in 2004 at age 8, her initial effort grew into a national campaign that raised over $1 million. Her parents established the official foundation in 2005 to continue her mission.

While Hamilton Beach is not the founder of the charity, the corporate brand partners with Alex's Lemonade StandFoundation annually across its facilities, efforts that include the employee-led "Alex's Lemonade Stand" fundraiser activities.

The need for research funding remains urgent. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children in the United States, with approximately 15,000 children and adolescents diagnosed nationwide each year. Although advances in research have raised overall five-year survival rates to about 85 percent, treatments often carry long-term health complications for young survivors.

Preparations for the Byhalia fundraiser began in late spring.

"We started probably two months in preparation for it," Yancey said. "Since this is August, I think we started around June, maybe late May."

Company-wide, Hamilton Beach facilities aim for a collective $15,000 fundraising goal each year.

"We meet it every year across all plants," Yancey said.

To help hit that benchmark, staff reached out beyond the facility walls by coordinating with the local chamber of commerce and posting flyers throughout the Byhalia community.

Community members and supporters can still contribute directly to pediatric cancer research through official Alex's Lemonade Stand online fundraising pages.