Selling lemonade to fight cancer just got easier thanks to the kindness of strangers
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Caroline Gallagher screamed at the sight of her new and improved lemonade stand.
She screamed “I love it!” before she even got out of the car.
The 5-year-old cancer survivor made a name for herself selling lemonade from the front yard of her Pinellas County home. The money goes to help other kids fighting the disease.
Tuesday, her stand got a major upgrade thanks to the kindness of a couple of strangers.
“This is so cool,” Caroline laughed as she checked out the new and improved C&C Lemonade Factory, which she runs with her little sister, Charlotte.
For the last three years, they've grown their charitable business from $50 in donations to $13,000 this summer.
LINK: 5-year-old survivor selling lemonade in St. Pete to help other kids fight cancer
Caroline said she gives every dollar to support children fighting cancer “because I want them to feel better,” she said.
Caroline was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was 18 months old. She beat the disease after 2.5 years of treatment.
“Seeing this happy, sweet girl so vibrant and she’s fought and she’s winning,” said Michelle Fetz, of Hudson, Florida. “It made me say, 'We need to do something. We need to bring more to the subject.'”
Caroline’s story touched Michelle and her neighbor, John Schwier, so they hatched a plan to help.
“I said, 'This little girl needs a really good lemonade stand if she’s gonna sell lemonade for this worthy cause,'” said John.
Over the course of two weeks, John built and painted a custom, portable stand for C&C Lemonade Factory. The Spring Hill Lowe's donated all of the materials.
“And they painted this all pink and yellow!” Caroline excitedly pointed out.
It's already a big hit with the sisters - a selfless gift the givers hope inspires others to act.
“I cannot wait to see what comes from this lemonade stand, and what she gets to do with it, and the awareness it brings,” said Michelle.
Caroline and Charlotte will debut their brand new lemonade stand at Northwestern Mutual’s Lemon Drop in November. The event raises money for pediatric cancer.