Lemonade Stand will fill 100 “Joy Jars”

BY Dawn Rankins

Canyon Lake’s Garcia family worked hard for a cause close to their hearts. Their little Lemonade Stand at Indian Beach Saturday, with the help of family and friends, raised a whopping $2,504 to fill “Joy Jars” for kids battling cancer. This amount was raised in just three hours.

Spearheading the lemonade stand was 9-year-old Juliana Garcia, a cancer survivor. Juliana is passionate about giving back to organizations that are there for families as they battle cancer with their kids.

The money raised Saturday is going to NEGU, an organization that helps kids who are actively battling cancer, their super-siblings and courageous parents, too, Juliana said. The money raised will pay to fill 100 Joy Jars, which are given to kids with cancer and their families.

This was the family’s fourth Lemonade Stand fundraiser. Due to the pandemic, the Lemonade Stand was put on hold, but this year, Juliana told her mom, Cara Garcia, that they just had to do the stand again. With September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, they scheduled it for Saturday.

Photo by Cara Garcia

To ensure the success of the Lemonade Stand, Juliana and her brother, along with two of their friends, passed out flyers on the streets closest to Indian Beach.

“I think the kids actually spent more time talking to some of the homeowners and didn’t get to pass out as many flyers as they would have liked,” Cara said. “Those moments and the stories they were told, though, left a lasting impression and were so much more important. This was a great learning experience for my children.”

Cara said her family was thanked more times than she can count for what they were doing and for having the stand, but it’s her family who would like to thank the community for giving money at a time like this when living costs are so high.

“One family bought raffle tickets and put a ticket in every raffle basket,” she said. “Other families dropped off twenties and fifties and didn’t want a raffle ticket…they only wanted to donate.”

The winner of the cross, made by Tim Hurley, told Cara, “God is good. What a wonderful blessing.” Cara said she then thanked them for their dedication and love shown towards those that visited the Lemonade Stand.

Photo by Cara Garcia

“High fives and fist pumps were countless for our little warrior, Juliana,” Cara said. “About half-way through the event, Juliana said to me, ‘Mom, I don’t want this day to end.’ She’s already talking about next year.”

Cara said they had many families come out to share their stories of how cancer had touched their lives and how it has personally affected them or their loved ones.

“Since beginning the Lemonade Stand in 2017, I’ve definitely noticed there are so many more stories of cancer in our community,” Cara said. “One of the last donors of the day said he was so touched by a previous Friday Flyer article about our family, he had to come down and donate. This donor said he’s amazed at what Juliana is doing and he knows she’s going to go far in life and do amazing things. His compassion brought tears to our family’s eyes.”

One of Cara’s former kindergarten students came back again this year and he donated $100.00. Back in 2018 he won the lily pad. This former student is now one of the newer members of the Canyon Lake Fire Department.

“I was so touched by the responses I received from the people who won the raffle gifts,” Cara said. “When I delivered them, I was thanked for what our family did to help others, but it is our family who wants to thank them. The community came together and made this a success.”

The Garcia family is no stranger to cancer. They fought it for three years with their little warrior Juliana.Having the continued support of the community makes being able to donate to organizations such as NEGU possible.

“The phrase ‘never give up’ was said over and over again on Saturday,” Cara said. “It is a good motto for all of us, whether you are fighting the beast, cancer, or just having a rough day. The cancer community is a family no one wants to be a part of, but it is one of the best and most supportive families there is.”