The sounds of live music and the occasional cowbell drifted down the 700 block of Bonnie Brae on Thursday. Bicycles littered front lawns as children and teens flocked to a festive event, where volunteers served cotton candy, popcorn, and of course, lemonade.
Every year, just a few blocks from CUC, the River Forest community and residents of the block get together for LemonAid, an event in memory of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Founded in 2002, LemonAid began as a series of lemonade stands to raise money for first responders, and has since expanded into a block party fundraiser for rotating charitable causes.
Over its lifetime, the event has raised over $676,000 in donations for 30 local charities, according to the event’s website. All of the funds were contributed either online or in-person at the event. Last year alone, LemonAid raised $60,217 for Wonderworks Children’s Museum and Collaboration for Early Childhood.
This year was the 24th annual event. LemonAid raised money for Thrive Counseling Center, which offers a 24/7 crisis team and a series of counseling services, and Opportunity Knocks, an organization focused on empowering children and adults with disabilities. According to event co-chairs Evie and Ethan Wynne, the money raised for Opportunity Knocks will be put towards a new farm where people will be able to grow their own vegetables and sell them at local farmers markets.
“A lot of the goal is to raise these funds and support these charities, and to raise awareness for them and bring in that support from the community,” Evie said. “I think doing something in memory of September 11 while doing something nice for our community is really our main goal.”
“It starts at 3 p.m. every year, and there are a lot of fun activities for families and kids. Everything is completely free,” Ethan said. “It’s a really great time for everyone to come see people and hang out.”
Sophomore Miranda Valencia-Cortes was among a few CUC students attending the event. She babysits for a family in the area and brought the children to the event.
“I think it’s pretty cool, it’s very family-friendly so I like that,” said Valencia-Cortes. “It’s very safe, so I feel comfortable letting the kids go around independently for a little bit. I’ve seen a lot of other babysitters here, too.”
LemonAid also serves as a mentorship program. High school students on the block rotate co-chairing the event, learning valuable leadership skills along the way.
“I think it’s a good way to learn responsibility, being in charge of things. There is so much we do, we connect with the charities and sponsors and we learn a lot about personal speaking,” Evie shared. “I think it’s been really beneficial and helped me grow and mature so much.”
Chris Hauri, resident of the block and volunteer since 2002 said, “I work with the co-chairs and do a little mentoring and training on how to run a meeting, how to do a presentation, and to see them grow up and be philanthropic is really wonderful.”
Organizers announced that next year’s event will be the last LemonAid held on Bonnie Brae. After that, they hope to relocate to a new River Forest block in the future
“We’ll honor this block and everything they’ve done to bring us to this point,” said River Forest Township Supervisor John Becvar. “We are proud to continue this tradition to really show our kids what it means to give back.”
