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Community Corner

Maple Grove Neighbors (Lemonade) Stand Against Breast Cancer

A simple fundraiser results in big success to help a Maple Grove mom battling breast cancer.

With pink boas, signs and a lot of enthusiasm, a Maple Grove neighborhood did everything it could to attract drivers to the 'Drink Pink' lemonade stand.

Setup at the corner of Lawndale Lane and 89th Avenue on July 29, kids flagged people down to buy pink lemonade or water. The neighborhood effort was a fundraiser set up for a local mom, Amber Johnson, who is fighting breast cancer. 

"She is just the sweetest person in the world," Event Organizer Roxanne Robinson said. "Our little neighborhood is really close so when one of us is hurting, we're all hurting."

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Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer in June and since then, the neighborhoods of Copper Marsh and Hidden Meadows have mowed the Johnson's lawn and organized dinners so the family can concentrate on beating cancer.  

Robinson says the kids in the neighborhood wanted to help, so the idea of a lemonade stand was born. Sixteen families from the area pitched in and organized the event in about three weeks.

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"We weren't really sure what to expect," Robinson said. "We just thought it was a nice, simple event that would get the kids involved and we hoped it would raise about $500."

At the end of the steamy Friday afternoon, the lemonade stand had surpassed expectations. At one point, the stand ran out of lemonade forcing an emergency run to a grocery store. In the end, the event raised about $1,876 for Johnson. Each customer that stopped was asked to make a donation, and Robinson says everyone was more than generous.

"The first man that stopped got a bottle of water and then gave the kids $20," she said. "They were so excited that he paid $20 for a bottle of water that their excitement level went through the roof."

Robinson said people from Wisconsin drove in after hearing about the event through social media.

"I was overwhelmed at the level of generosity," she said.

Johnson couldn't agree more. She has been busy with doctor’s appointments, but on her CaringBridge site she wrote, "A huge thank you to my awesome neighbors for putting so much heart into this event."  She went on to say it is a neighborhood everyone would want to live in. "I'm sure the home values in Copper Marsh and Hidden Meadows started climbing."

"We'll do everything we can to help Amber kick cancer," Robinson said. "We want to send a message that cancer is not welcome in our neighborhood."

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