Since 2002, the LemonAid fundraiser has commemorated the 9/11 attacks by selling lemonade and raising awareness and funds for local charities that serve children.
This year, the event will take place from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 11 on the 700 block of Bonnie Brae Place in River Forest. In the past 23 years, LemonAid has raised more than $500,000 for 26 local charities, according to organizers.
Attendees at the event can expect lemonade, popcorn, cotton candy, music, games, photo booths, face-painting, bubbles and foam pits. The Wonder Works Children’s Museum and Collaboration for Early Childhood have each been chosen as a LemonAid beneficiary.
No set donation is required to attend. But any amount can be donated at the event or in advance online, according to a news release. Corina Davis and Mike Davis have pledged to match Wonder Works Children’s Museum donations.
The event originated when some River Forest residents decided to do something positive to commemorate 9/11. They held a lemonade stand the first year, during which more than 80 locals, including kids, participated. In 2002, LemonAid raised $400. In 2021, organizers raised more than $100,000. Each year’s money that was raised, and the charity to which it was donated, is listed online.