Few things are as troubling as the thought of innocent children afflicted with cancer. And childhood cancer spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region in the United States. It occurs regularly and it occurs randomly.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, a time to honor the brave little ones and their families battling this disease; a time to help rally financial support for much-needed groundbreaking research. The facts on childhood cancer are certainly sobering: it is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 15 in the United States. One in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer by age 20.

Please, don�t wait until a child you know gets cancer. You can help now.

www.alexslemonade.org

When Alex, who was diagnosed with cancer just before her first birthday, turned 4, she expressed an interest in setting up a lemonade stand in her front yard to make money to help fund cancer research. In one day, she managed to raise an astonishing $2,000. The lemonade-stand concept evolved into what is now known nationally as Alex�s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), an organization dedicated to realizing Alex�s dream of eradicating childhood cancer. ALSF�s mission is to encourage and empower others, particularly children, to get involved and make a difference.

The website reads, �While bravely fighting her own cancer, Alex continued to set up lemonade stands every year. As news spread of the remarkable girl so dedicated to helping other sick children, people everywhere were inspired to start their own lemonade stands � donating the proceeds to her cause. In 2004 when Alex passed away at the age of 8 � her stand and inspiration had raised more than $1 million towards finding a cure for the disease that took her life. Alex�s Lemonade Stand Foundation was started by her parents in 2005 to continue the work that Alex began.�

www.stjude.org

The St. Jude Children�s Research Hospital�s website is filled with the beautiful faces of children fighting for their lives. Their smiling eyes are like sunshine peeking through storm clouds. 

St. Jude has become synonymous with childhood cancer treatment. The organization is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. �We�ve spent more than half a century finding cures and saving children, and our groundbreaking research has helped push the survival rate for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent in 1962 to more than 80 percent today,� the website reads.

Through the website, you can also sign up to walk or run in your local (where applicable) St. Jude Children�s Research Hospital Walk/Run to end childhood cancer.

Perhaps most well-known for the tagline at the end of its commercials, St. Jude believes families should never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food � because all parents should worry about is helping their child live. By donating to St. Jude, you can directly help parents of children with cancer better focus on battling for the lives of their precious babies without the stress that comes with financing treatment of a life-threatening illness.

www.acco.org

The American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) is the largest national, grassroots organization at the forefront of the battle against childhood cancer. The ACCO was founded by parents who, themselves, have faced this challenge, and joined by a national community of families and survivors. �From providing the highest quality resources designed for children and families, to coordinating local assistance to families in need, to leading advocacy campaigns for greater awareness and research, the ACCO is dedicated to giving every child facing childhood cancer a fighting chance at a healthy, happy future,� reads the website.

www.childrenscancer.org/main/kids_stories

Children�s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) invests in lifesaving, leading-edge research in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of childhood cancers and blood-related disorders. To read about ordinary kids with extraordinary courage, take a moment to check out this page of the CCRF website. These stories take you beyond the label, the disease, the hospital bed; they reveal the unique, inspiring stories, names and faces of the children who are the definition of courage.

www.medlineplus.gov/cancerinchildren.html

MedlinePlus is a great place to start on finding out more about childhood cancer. From this one page, there are a huge assortment of links to information relating to childhood cancer � whether you are a parent of a child with cancer, someone seeking greater awareness, or someone hoping to help fund childhood cancer research. It�s all here. Be prepared to spend a good amount of time on this site because it is extensive and informative.