Family’s annual fundraiser to benefit brain cancer research

In November 2013, Lucy, age 10, and Ruby, age 8, lost their father, Scott Harris, to glioblastoma brain cancer. The girls never got a chance to meet their grandfather, Roland Fields, who passed away in 1994, also from brain cancer.

In May 2013, the girls held a lemonade and cookie stand to raise money for their father’s hospital at UAB. The girls raised $3,000 for Wheeling for Hope, a nonprofit organization that benefits brain cancer research and patient support services at UAB and Children’s of Alabama. 

Last year, the girls expanded their lemonade stand concept into Lucy & Ruby’s Brainy Day. More than 300 people attended the event, which raised $13,000. The girls plan to hold the Brainy Day each May, which is Brain Cancer Awareness Month, as a way to keep their father’s memory alive and provide hope to others currently living with brain tumors. The event is coordinated by Lucy and Ruby’s mother, Lisa Harris, and her co-workers at o2ideas, a local branding and advertising agency. 

The second annual Lucy & Ruby’s Brainy Day will be held this year on May 9 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Mountain Brook Community Church’s University Christian Fellowship House. Musician Roger Day from Nashville, Tennessee, will be performing along with The Undergrounders. The fundraiser will also feature food trucks, a silent art auction, prizes, face painting, games, cookies and lemonade. 

The event is free, but donations are requested upon entry. To learn more, visit lucyandruby.com or their Facebook page at Lucy and Ruby's Brainy Day.