Kids for the Cure Lemonade Stand

Lemonade stands are cute. This one is no exception: There’s plenty of pink, an adorable smiling sales staff — most of them under age 10 — and zestful pastries to complement the tangy potable. But there’s a serious note to this particular beverage business. This table stands to be a vehicle for raising thousands for charity. Grace Barrett, a Merriman Park Elementary third-grader, was just 1 year old when she lost her mom, Sharon Barrett, to breast cancer. Sharon’s sister, Kimberly Walker, started the Lake Highlands Kids for the Cure Lemonade Stand three years ago. Walker’s sons, Jackson and Davis Walker, also Merriman Park students, joined Grace and friends in manning the stand and raising funds for cancer research. The first year they earned $600 in donations. In 2009, the kids squeezed $2,232 out of hundreds of enthusiastic classmates, friends and neighbors. “As you know, Lake Highlands is a wonderful community,” Kimberly Walker says. “The majority of donations were from the kids’ school and sports friends.”