Day One~~FUN!!

A huge thank you and shout out to the friends and neighbors in Willowood and our BSES friends!! Our first lemonade stand of the summer was AWESOME. Lots of friends to share in the fun and lots of $$ raised for FANA. It doesn't get much better than that.

Summer FUNdraising!!

Another summer has arrived and we are gearing up for the first lemonade stand of the season. Laynie and friends will be on Wesley Lane tomorrow, July 2nd from 12:00-4:00. Cookies and lemonade to support FANA in Bogota, Colombia!! It's going to be a hot one, so join us for some FUNdraising!!

Finally... our second lemonade stand this summer!!

Due to the crazy HOT Maryland summer and Alayna's just as crazy social calendar, we will be finally hosting our second lemonade stand tomorrow, Sunday, August 15th. She and her friends were able to raise $182 (yahoooooo) at the first stand, so.... they have set a goal of $190 tomorrow!! Stop by for lemonade, cookies and bottle cap jewelry to support FANA, manatees and the Gulf Clean Up!!

Lemonade....Round #3

Laynie will be hosting her first Lemonade Stand of the summer THIS SATURDAY, July 17th @ 1:00 p.m on Wesley Lane in Elkridge. She is hoping to raise more than $700 for FANA and wants to raise even more for Save the Manatees AND The Gulf Clean Up. Stop by for some lemonade and cookies! She and her friends are also making bottle cap jewelry and magnets to sell! We will keep you posted on the efforts!!

Lemonade and Cookies Always Make Me Smile!!

We are THRILLED to announce that thanks to family, friends, neighbors and strangers willing to stop, Laynie raised over $600 for FANA this summer. That's a whole lot of lemonade and cookies (with a few faces painted and dog treats sold as well). Best of all... the money will again be sent to FANA to help the birthmothers and babies who so desperately need our help.

Laynie wants to personally thank her friends who spent many HOT Saturday and Sunday afternoons with us. Kudos to: Sydney, Nathalie, Cristina (another FANA friend), Hannah, Valentina, Haley, Rylee, Alyriana, and cousins Ally and Addy. What a big-hearted group it was. It made us laugh to see them all try to get cars to stop by pogo-sticking, dancing, cartwheeling, backhandspringing and my favorite....yelling, "Come on, share the fun!!" At one point during a HOT summer day, they created signs telling joggers, walkers, mail carriers, UPS truck drivers and people with dogs or children that their lemonade was FREE!! Luckily for us (and FANA), they didn't take us up on the offer!! We were hot and tired after each lemonade stand; however, everytime....Laynie was ready to start planning the next one.

Thanks to all of you who donated to Laynie's cause...we are beyond blessed!! A special thanks to old friends who sent a donation to Alayna: Ms. Lorenz, Ms. Carr and Ms. Ruth. Your kind words and generous gifts mean the world to us. Some others of you who were not able to make it out our way have asked how they can help out. We are planning to send the check to FANA in the next month or so; however, it is not too late to donate if you so desire. Please send your checks (made payable to FANA) to Alayna Lightfield, 6231 Sutton Court, Elkridge, MD 21075.

Happy Fall, y'all.... see you next summer!!

It's summer... must be time for Laynie's Lemonade!!

We are excited to let you know that Alayna is proudly hosting another summer of lemonade stands!! She even added face painting this year!! She has already held two stands and has raised $272 so far this summer. She hopes to beat last summer's total of $563 so she is well on her way.

Alayna is raising money for FANA, the orphanage in Bogota, Colombia where she spent the first two months of her life. When I asked her why she wanted to give back to FANA, she said...."I want to help FANA find forever families for Colombian children. This money will be used to help train birthmoms so they can get paying jobs. Also, it will buy food and clothes for the babies at FANA. (Did I mention how proud I am??) :)

Alayna is fortunate to have many friends and family members who spend hot summer afternoons setting up, selling lemonade and cookies, holding signs and painting faces. Thanks to all of you!! Other friends and family members who can't be here have sent donations, too. Wow.... we are blessed!!

We will be holding another lemonade stand this Saturday from 1:00-4:00, so.... stop by and visit. And...with Laila (our new puppy) joining the family....Alayna promises to have dog treats available, too!! Read the entries below to catch up on last year's lemonade stands! Stay tuned!!

Giving Back!!

Tonight was the night that Alayna was finally able to give Mercedes Rosario de Martinez (the foundress and president of FANA) her donation from her lemonade stand. What a night!! We were invited to a cocktail party hosted by The Barker Foundation (our adoption agency) and Friends of FANA, DC. Mercedes and Flor Angela Rojas Ferro (Second Legal Representative of FANA) were the guests. Alayna was asked to share her story with the group and she did a fabulous job. Before grabbing the microphone, Alayna told me not to cry, but... I did!!

Mercedes and Flor were so very thankful and told Alayna that her money will make a big diffference in the lives of children in Colombia. Mercedes presented Alayna with a beautiful silver bracelet with yellow, blue and red beads representing the flag of Colombia. Alayna beamed with pride!! She has mentioned four times tonight that she is ready for a trip back to Colombia (and especially to see the babies at FANA).

Thank you to everyone who helped Alayna's dream of giving back to FANA a reality. We are truly blessed to have so many caring and supportive family members and friends. A big THANK YOU from the Lightifield Trio!!