By RANDY SEAVER | Editor
In July, the Biddeford Gazette told you the story about a six-year-old Biddeford girl who started selling lemonade to help fight childhood cancer.
Now — three months later — we have a pretty awesome update to share with our readers.
Madison Charland spent the first three years of her life battling leukemia. Although she has been cancer free for more than three years, she wanted to repay the kindness and support that her family received during their own battle with cancer.
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Armed with a super sweet smile, her grandmother’s secret recipe and some help from her family, Madison opened a lemonade stand near her home in the center of Biddeford’s Cathedral Oaks neighborhood.
Madison was hoping to raise $1,000 that would be evenly split and donated to the two charities that gave her family so much support – The Maine Children’s Cancer Program and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
We’re happy to report that Madison achieved her fundraising goal – and then some.
A few days ago, Madison and members of her family presented two checks totaling more than $3,200 to the two charitable organizations.
Think about that for a moment. That’s more than 3,000 cups of lemonade — a whole lot of lemons.
“It was her idea,” said Sherri Charland, Madison’s mother. “We were talking about the importance of giving back to others, and she just embraced the concept.”
Sherri Charland said the Gazette’s July 26 story helped raise awareness about Madison’s fundraising project.
After reading about Madison’s project, the owners and seasonal campers at the Red Apple Campground in Arundel decided they wanted to support the fundraising effort.
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Jane Berg, owner of the Red Apple Campground, said the decision to support Madison’s efforts fit nicely with a long-standing tradition at her family-owned business.
Berg’s late husband had a nephew who struggled with childhood cancer. Today, Berg’s nephew has completely recovered and is working as a full-time law enforcement officer.
“Every year, we do fundraising to support the fight against childhood cancer,” Berg explained. “For us, it’s very personal.”
Sherri Charland said she was blown away by all the community support that surrounded her daughter’s dream of helping others.
“What an amazing day,” Charland said, shortly after dropping off the checks. “These charities mean so much to our family. We are so thankful to the community.”
So how did a six-year-old girl raise more than $3,000 for charity from a neighborhood lemonade stand?
Maybe, it was her grandmother’s secret lemonade recipe.
“It’s made with love,” Madison told us.
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