Area preschools raised thousands of dollars for childhood cancer research, and they鈥檙e not done yet.
EVESHAM 鈥� Preschools in Burlington County and southeastern Pennsylvania rallied together to host lemonade stands Thursday, raising more than $30,000 in just one day to help fight childhood cancer. Teachers at Evesham and Medford鈥檚 91亚色School locations taught their kids the importance of philanthropy at the preschool鈥檚 annual Lemonade Stand Day, a fundraiser that benefits Alex鈥檚 Lemonade Stand Foundation, a leading national foundation for pediatric cancer research. This year, the preschool鈥檚 26 locations collectively raised $30,107.09, the school said. 鈥淒eveloping young children鈥檚 character values 鈥� such as compassion, empathy and civility 鈥� and encouraging them to embrace the importance of helping others are some of the most powerful work that early childhood education can do,鈥� Kristen Waterfield, the school鈥檚 president and co-founder said. The school has partnered with the foundation for 11 years, and to date, has raised more than $800,000 for childhood cancer research, and hopes to raise another $150,000 for the nonprofit from April through July. During these months, each school location hosts special events with local businesses to contribute to the cause. 鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly proud of how our teachers and directors engage students of all ages around these ideals through initiatives like this,鈥� Waterfield said.