Chappaqua Sisters Return With Lemonade Stand to Fight Childhood Cancer
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
This Friday night, sisters Jenna and Rebecca Blum will be hard at work squeezing lemons, prepping for one of the most important days of the year for them.
They will wake up bright and early on Saturday, prepared to open the Blum Sisters Lemonade Stand at the start of the Chappaqua Farmers Market at 8:30 a.m.
A fixture at the market for the past 11 years (except during COVID), the sisters’ efforts is to raise money for childhood cancer. During the previous 10 years, Jenna and Rebecca have managed to raise about $27,000 through the Alex’s Lemonade Stand charity.
It’s hard to believe that Jenna, who is 16, and a sophomore at Horace Greeley High School, and Rebecca, 19, who just completed her sophomore year at Washington University in St. Louis, have been at this since they were five and eight years old, respectively. In recent years, they’ve taken to running the stand mostly on their own, although they still get some help from their parents.
“It’s been so great, and making sure everything goes so smoothly, and we’ve been very successful, obviously, there’s really no reason to stop because how much of an impact, how great of an impact it has,” Jenna said.
Rebecca said in the week leading up to the annual day at the farmers market, they will buy the supplies that will make up about 10 gallons for lemonade. They also plan this year to have lemon bars to complement the sale of the liquid refreshment. There will also be a raffle.
There is no cost for the treats, but the public is encouraged to donate what they would like, Rebecca said.
“Since the beginning we’ve been very passionate about running the stand and doing as much as we can,” she said. “As we’ve gotten older and have gotten more independent, I feel like we’ve played an increasingly large role.”
The effort also continues to have special meaning for the sisters. It’s been seven years since their maternal grandfather, Papa Neal, died due to brain cancer.
While they’re looking forward to a great day at the farmers market on Saturday, the success of the stand isn’t entirely dependent on the weather, Jenna said. Since last week, the website to donate has been open.
So if it is a weather washout, or if there are people who can’t make the market, the public is invited to visit the Blum Sisters’ Lemonade Stand at https://www.alexslemonade.org/2024/blum-sisters-lemonade-stand.
For those heading to the market, it is at the Chappaqua Metro-North station from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
