Kid Battling Cancer Raises Nearly $150K for Charity With Lemonade Stands

Mario Carpino, 10, now wants his idol, Jon Bon Jovi, to attend he next charity lemonade stand in June.

To keep up his spirits and help other kids with cancer, Mario has become involved with an organization called Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer, which raises awareness and money to fund grants for pediatric cancer research. A married couple from Connecticut launched the organization in 2005, one year after their 8-year-old daughter, Alex Scott, passed away from neuroblastoma, a common infant cancer that accounts for seven percent of all cancers in children. During her short life, Alex hosted an annual lemonade stand (she raised $2,000 in one day for her first one) and donated the funds to cancer research. After Alex’s death, her parents created a foundation to continue her efforts and kids like Mario hold yearly lemonade stands in her honor.

Mario has exceeded his fundraising goals each year, a portion of which he earns at his annual lemonade stand, the rest through online donations. He wanted to raise $5,000 when he held his first stand in 2011. He ending up raising $25,134. In 2012, he raised $48,517, execeeding his goal of $25,000. And in 2013, Mario set his goal at $50,000 and brought in $68,542. People can also donate to Mario’s cause on his event page.

By: William

retired military , former cop, lifelong gym rat and doting grandfather alive and living in Maine