Rockville Centre girls go from lemons to lemonade

After learning of the tribulations of 8-year-old Kendall Curnuck, a Wilson Elementary School student battling leukemia, a group of young St. Agnes students found their cause. On July 27, they declared war on the deadly disease. Gaining approval from Kendall’s family, they set up a lemonade stand at the intersections of Roxen and Glenwood and Arrandale and Glenwood, raising nearly $1,000 in an hour and a half. Kendall’s mother, Lisa, stopped by with photos of her daughter (who was at camp) and orange ribbons for the girls to wear. With matching donations, as of Monday, the girls had raised $2,000.

It all began when 11-year-old Jolie Creo saw “Meet Kendall,” a recent episode of “Elevated,” a web series that features inspiring stories of everyday people, sponsored and narrated by Rockville Centre’s Dave Russo. After the viewing it, Jolie sent an email to her 12 friends in her book club. Her parents joined in by contacting everybody they could think of about Kendall’s battle and the girls’ efforts to help. The email, which went viral, contained a link to the web series and text from Jolie that read, “Well looks like our ‘Lemonade War’ is on!! We needed a cause... and here it is!”

The Creos explained that the video touches the hearts of those who watch it. They are asking friends and neighbors to be on the lookout for more fronts in the “Lemonade War,” as the girls plan to team up with Jeannine’s Boutique at 6 N. Park Ave. for the next fundraiser, “Kindness for Kendall.” On Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., they will set up a lemonade stand in front of the shop, which has pledged to donate 20 percent of its sales that day to help as the girls raise more funds for the fight against leukemia and for Kendall and her family.