Fundraiser held in honor of childhood cancer

The Garcia family is hosting their 2nd annual Lemonade Stand Fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 12 to 3 p.m. at the north ski pavilion during the Wakeboard Club’s Learn to Ride Day event.

The fundraiser is being held in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and to raise money for Create a Smile, a non-profit organization with a mission to inspire children one smile at a time by offering gifts to those who have been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing treatment in order to enhance and ease their quality of life.

The event is being organized by Cara Garcia, who is no stranger to the dread of childhood cancer and valuable organizations such as Create a Smile. In November 2015, Cara’s then three-year-old daughter Juliana was diagnosed with Wilms’ Tumor following a routine wellness check-up.

Wilms’ Tumor, also referred to as Nephroblastoma, is cancer of the kidneys that typically occurs in children. Four days after being diagnosed, Juliana had her left kidney and the tumor attached to it removed. Following surgery, Juliana received six months of chemotherapy in order to reduce the chance of recurrence. Currently, Juliana has to have scans every four months until the age of seven to make sure her cancer hasn’t returned.

Cara chose to donate the proceeds from this year’s fundraiser to Create a Smile because the organization is near and dear to her family. Last year, Create a Smile gifted Juliana a trip to Legoland and a ninja bike and helmet.

“We want to give back to them because they are doing amazing things to enhance the quality of life for children battling this ugly deadly disease,” Cara said.

In addition to selling lemonade, the Garcia family will be selling raffle tickets for $5 each. Prizes have been donated by local businesses. Those who can’t attend the fundraiser but wish to make a donation can do so at createsmiles.org.