Coldwell Banker Realty agent Martha Thorn and her team, known collectively as the Thorn Collection, are hosting a community fundraising event, Thursday, October 20, 2022, at 598 Indian Rocks Road North, Belleair Bluffs, from 4-6 pm. They have taken the iconic childhood symbol of a lemonade stand and transformed it into a fundraising event to benefit the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The Thorn Collection Lemonade Stand website says it’s to support the fighters, admire the survivors, honor the taken and, above all, never give up hope for a cure.
Just how much could such a simplified fundraising concept really succeed in making a difference? How about nearly $200,000 raised in its first 8 years! What started as a $3,000 fundraiser in 2014, raised just over $51,000 last year. And Martha Thorn sets a goal every year to better the previous year’s total donations.
Cancer is the No.1 cause of death by disease among children. One in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday. Coupled with these alarming statistics is the fact that only a tiny percentage of the billions of government spending annually on cancer research goes specifically toward treating childhood cancer. Some estimates say this percentage is as little as 4%.
Martha Thorn says she credits the event’s success on repeat customers, amazing clients as well as the community outreach they do by email, mail, social media and advertising. For the last two years, the team has honored clients’ children who have battled cancer. In 2021, they honored a client’s son, Jackson Broom, who had passed away from cancer. His entire family and siblings were on hand at the lemonade stand to help raise money for the cause. For them, it was personal.
The team has smartly decided not to have a set price for the lemonade. It is by donation only and the majority of the donations come in from clients, past clients and repeat donors who may or may not even come to the lemonade stand itself that afternoon. Donations can also be made online at http://thorncollectionlemonadestand.com/.
For the first time this year, the Thorn Collection Lemonade Stand will also have some local sponsors, including Lane’s Lemonade in Dunedin who is donating the lemonade, Kookie Krums in Dunedin who is donating wrapped cookies and Coastal Aire Design is donating a hot dog stand.
Coldwell Banker Realty in Florida
Coldwell Banker Realty in Florida is a leading residential real estate brokerage company with approximately 73 offices and 8,106 affiliated sales associates. Coldwell Banker Realty is owned by a subsidiary of Anywhere Real Estate Inc. (NYSE: HOUS), the largest full-service residential real estate services company in the United States. Visit ColdwellBankerHomes.com.