When Lucy’s grandfather, Mr. Jim Donmoyer, tells the story of Lucy’s Lemonade Stand, he doesn’t begin with numbers or totals — he begins with Lucy. A little girl whose fight with cancer left an imprint on everyone who knew her, and whose joy and determination continue to ripple outward through the project that bears her name.
The first stand came in 2022, while Lucy was still here to help. She loved the idea from the start and wanted to do something for kids like her. She helped hand-paint the signs, pitched in on the little details, and watched with pride as neighbors stopped by. That first year raised more than $20,000, but the bigger gift was the way the community rallied — dropping five-dollar bills into the jar, offering hugs, and letting Lucy and her family know they weren’t alone.
In 2023, the campaign carried on even as the family faced the hardest month of all — Lucy’s passing. Friends, neighbors, and even strangers set up stands across Jacksonville and beyond, finishing the campaign in her honor and raising $100,000. It became clear that Lucy’s Lemonade Stand had grown into more than a fundraiser. It was a way to keep her spirit present and her hope alive.
By 2024 and beyond, the family knew this was going to be their way of giving back and honoring Lucy’s legacy. Each September, new stands pop up across Florida and even overseas, raising funds for Fourth and Gold, the nonprofit founded by one of Lucy’s nurses, Erin Tracy, to support safer, more effective treatments for childhood cancer.
Lucy’s Lemonade Stand is remembered not just for what it raises, but for what it represents. It began with Lucy’s own hands painting signs and her own heart dreaming of helping kids in the future. And today, every cup poured in her name carries that dream forward, turning loss into legacy, and hope into action.
