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Giving back, 1 lemonade sale at a time

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Photo courtesy of Lisa Harris.

Lucy and Ruby Harris started fundraising in support of brain cancer research in 2013. What started as a simple lemonade and cookie stand hosted by the young Vestavia Hills residents has now grown into an annual event, Lucy & Ruby’s Brainy Day.

“It’s really exciting, and it did all start with the idea of my youngest daughter,” said Lucy and Ruby’s mom, Lisa Harris. “It was just a casual little thing that she was going to do.”

Lucy and Ruby’s father, Scott Harris, was diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer, and they started their lemonade stand to give back to the hospital that was treating him. That first year, the girls raised $3,000 for Wheeling for Hope, a nonprofit that benefits brain cancer research and patient support services at UAB and Children’s of Alabama.

Scott Harris passed away in November 2013, and the girls chose to grow the event to help keep his memory alive and provide hope to those living with cancer. Lucy & Ruby’s Brainy Day is in its third year and has raised more than $30,000 for Wheeling for Hope to date. 

Harris said she hopes as the event continues to grow, they can bring hope to more families and help create a greater sense of community.

“This provides an opportunity for people to get involved,” she said. “The awareness, for me, of brain cancer is just as important as the fundraising, maybe even more so.”

The event is held in May every year, in recognition of Brain Cancer Awareness Month. It will be held May 7 at Mountain Brook Community Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be food, live music, a silent auction, games, activities, prizes and free cookies and lemonade. Donations will be accepted upon entry to the event. 

There will also be T-shirts for sale, and $5 from each T-shirt purchased will go toward research. All proceeds from the silent auction, a pre-event online auction and online donations will go toward research as well.

This year, Hoover resident Matt Anderson and his two daughters are partnering with the cause. Anderson’s wife, Gretchen Anderson, passed away from brain cancer in July 2015, and they plan to have a “Go Grey for Gretchen” booth set up at the event.

“Brain cancer doesn’t get a lot of attention, so this event is a great way to help increase awareness in the community and give back,” Anderson said. “My daughters and I are excited about being involved this year and partnering with Lucy and Ruby.”

This year, they plan to personally reach out to more families and individuals affected by brain cancer, Lisa Harris said.

“It’s more about creating a sense of community with people who have been impacted because brain cancer isn’t something that really gets attention,” she said.

For more information, visit lucyandruby.com.

Lucy & Ruby’s Brainy Day

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