WESTPHALIA, Mo. -- Eight-year-old Arabella Schaben scooped ice from a cooler and filled plastic cups with homemade lemonade Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of Legends Bank in Westphalia.
Visible from Highway 63, the lemonade stand had about a dozen customers an hour into the 90-degree day. About half the five-gallon jug was gone and Arabella and her brother, Bane, had raised $150 of their $400 goal. A school teacher and some family friends were among the first customers.
"One cup closer to finding a cure for childhood cancer," each of their cups read. They were paired with bracelets, stickers and temporary tattoos with similar messages.
It's the fourth year the Schabens have sold lemonade to fund childhood cancer research. They usually prepare about 10 gallons of lemonade and cut about a dozen lemons and limes, said Linda Schaben, a mother of four. They also sell homemade cookies and baked goods.
Arabella said it's fun to sell the lemonade to people she knows but she was most looking forward to giving the money away.
The Schabens Lemonade Stand was one of more than 1,000 across the country associated with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national nonprofit created in 2005 that's become one of the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the U.S. and Canada.
The nonprofit's annual Lemonade Days fundraiser was started by Alexandra "Alex" Scott, a 4-year-old who fought neuroblastoma for four years until her death in 2004. She set a goal to raise $1 million through lemonade stands to support children with cancer, and reached it before her death.
Lemonade Days encourages people across the country to further the mission with their own lemonade stand in early June. It's raised more than $20 million during the past 20 years, according to a news release from the nonprofit.
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation has raised more than $250 million since 2000 and used the money to fund more than 1,000 research projects and supply families who have children receiving cancer treatments with resources, according to its website.
The nonprofit has a goal of raising more than $1 million during this year's nine day fundraising event. There are approximately 21 lemonade stands in Missouri, according to the organization's website.
Schaben said she saw some advertising online a couple years ago and began following the organization's social media accounts. She set up her first stand in 2020 and made it a family tradition.
"Our lemonade stand is dedicated to my husband's aunt, Judy Schaben," she said. "She was a saint. Everyone loved her and a lot of people around Westphalia knew her. She was just one of the sweetest people, so we always dedicate it to her."
Lemonade stands associated with the foundation usually pop up the first week of June, Schaben said, and her family usually sets up during the first weekend of the month. Those that miss the stand can donate online at the Alex's Lemonade Stand website.
In addition to raising money for a good cause, Schaben said she uses the experience to teach her children about responsibility and generosity.
"You can pick which type of cancer you want (to fundraise for) and usually we pick leukemia because we've known people who have passed away from leukemia," she said. "We just love to do it."
"We get a lot of family and friends and people around the neighborhood, and everyone's super supportive," she continued.
Michelle Hurst brought her son Jack, 8, and daughter Mia, 6, for some lemonade. Hurst said she was familiar with Alex's Lemonade Stand from previous years and because she "used to see it on Ellen a lot."
"I just like to help support Linda and her great causes," Hurst said. "We appreciate Linda doing this every year and coming out and visiting with her."
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Arabella Schaben, 8, serves up a cup of homemade lemonade Sunday, June 4, 2023, outside Legends Bank in Westphalia. The third grader at Fatima Elementary School donated her lemonade sale profits to a national nonprofit working to fund childhood cancer research.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Arabella Schaben, 8, prepares a cup of homemade lemonade Sunday, June 4, 2023, outside Legends Bank in Westphalia. The third grader at Fatima Elementary School donated her lemonade sale profits to a national nonprofit working to fund childhood cancer research.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Arabella Schaben, 8, prepares a cup of homemade lemonade Sunday, June 4, 2023, outside Legends Bank in Westphalia. The third grader at Fatima Elementary School donated her lemonade sale profits to a national nonprofit working to fund childhood cancer research.