EAST PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Neighbors came out on Saturday afternoon to the Festival of Lights building in East Peoria to donate money to an organization known for helping sick children.
Outpouring support from the community for Nathan and Olivia’s annual lemonade stand for St. Jude Runs. The annual event is held in honor of Nathan Pennington who lost his life due to cancer and received care from St. Jude.
This year’s event looked a bit different due to COVID-19. Cars drove up in a drive-thru setting to receive their lemonades and make their donations.
Organzier of the stand, Olivia Pennington said the new set up didn’t impact donations. She added she’s happy the community came out to support a cause close to her heart.
“It’s been a hot one out here, it brings back a lot of memories when we used to do it with my brother Nathan and its just great to be able to support the kids of St. Jude,” Pennington said.
The stand also received support from the St. Jude Corvette Drive. President of the club, Andrew Black said it’s hard to find anyone in the area who doesn’t support the cause.
“The Corvette people have been doing this for nearly nine years now and we’ve raised well over a million dollars and its just an amazing cause,” Black said.
Black said they’ll be hosting a Poker Run on August 21st to raise money for St. Jude.
