Yes indeed, it’s finally here, in all its steamy glory. If you’re the parent of a school-aged kid, a break from lunch-making and homework-helping is coming your way this month, too – yippee!
There’s a lot to love about Richmond in the summer. We have massive rocks on the James River to lounge on when you want to make like a lizard for an afternoon. We have amazing museums in which to cool off when the heat gets to be too much. We’re just a hop, skip, and a few hours on I-64 away from the ocean when you want to hit the beach. Kings Dominion is in our backyard, complete with a water park that’s included in the park admission price. And come mid-July, there’s lots and lots of lemonade…
That means, it’s time to reserve a great spot for your Anthem LemonAid stand (anthemlemonaid.com). Now in its sixteenth year, all funds raised support the infusion center in the hematology and oncology clinic at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. I can tell you from first-hand experience that it’s a wonderful family summer project. The kids really enjoyed hosting our first stand last summer, taking over RFM editor Karen’s stand that she and her daughters have hosted since we started the magazine way back in 2009. Last summer, our days before LemonAid weekend were spent decorating change boxes and making posters to hold up at the busy intersection in front of the West End Farmer’s Market where our stand was located. This was the boys’ first taste of receiving money that they didn’t get to keep, and it was really good for them to work hard for an important cause. By the end of the weekend, after hosting the stand at our pool and in our neighborhood as well, they were so proud to count up a whopping $500 to send in to Children’s Miracle Network. This year, Anthem LemonAid is July 14 through 16, so register your stand today!
Our family will share the summer fundraising love with our friends at FeedMore, too, when we promote Dunk Hunger to area pools, including our own. It’s easy to toss a jar of peanut butter into the pool bag and have the kids put it in the Dunk Hunger bin at the pool. And taking the food over to FeedMore and watching the number on the scale go up was really rewarding for the boys last summer, so we’ll be sure to make a few trips there before the campaign ends on August 31. After you sign up your pool to participate in Dunk Hunger, be sure to read the tips on our website from a Dunk Hunger veteran, teen Jack McSorley. He shares lots of great ideas to get your pool members motivated to go for the gold and the $1,000 cash prize!
For even more ways to give back as a family this summer, visit our Reaching Out section under Community at RFMonline.com. We’ve spotlighted nearly one hundred area nonprofits since RFM started – you’re sure to find one you can get behind!
No matter how you spend your summer, be sure to take RFM along for the ride. We’ll keep you in the know with the most comprehensive calendar of events in the area and the 4-1-1 you need for a fun and refreshing summer!
