We posted a special Foundations edition of What We Have Noticed late in March of this year and today we bring you another segment with four more great foundations you should know about and possibly want to be involved with. Learn more about Alex's Lemonade Stand, War on ALS, More Than Sport and Reach. It is always good to remember that some folks are less fortunate than we are, and that there is more to life than new gear and gadgets and personal records.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand

What: Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation started as a lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra Scott who at age 4 wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Little Alex sadly passed away in 2004 at age 8, but Alex’s Lemonade Stand is now a national foundation and even has an athletic program called Team Lemon, where athletes of all calibers can make a difference in the lives of those affected by childhood cancer. So go join Team Lemon.
Website: alexslemonade.org

War on ALS

What: War on ALS is most likely the best known foundation to triathletes because quite a few folks, including but not limited to Chrissie Wellington and Leanda Cave have become Blazeman Warriors for this group. All Blazeman Warriors help raise awareness about ALS and raise money to find the causes and cure for this deadly disease. When you see someone rolling across the finish line at a race, that is in memory of Jon Blais who did so when he finished the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in 2005 while already dealing with the disease often also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. Jon was diagnosed in May of 2005 and passed away in May of 2007, and we have just been informed that May is ALS Awareness Month. So let us all keep the memory of Jon alive.
Website: waronals.com




More Than Sport

What: When we are very busy with training and racing it is sometimes easy to forget that there is more to life than sport. Chris Lieto did not only realize that early on, he actually started the More Than Sport foundation with the idea to use sports as a tool for change. You can volunteer or donate or actually do both, and the goal is actually to give back and serve in the communities where you race and train. For example at the upcoming 70.3 Honu race, money raised will go to the Kona Marshallese Community, plus other partnerships for future events will be announced soon.
Website: morethansport.org




Reach

What: Reach is an Aussie program that was started in 1994 by Jim Stynes and Paul Currie to inspire young people to believe in themselves and get the most out of life. We all know how important self-confidence is and sadly quite a few young kids do not have the support system that helps them along those lines. Reach aims to change that and we can all get involved too.
Website: reach.org.au