Alex's Lemonade Foundation, Local Karate Center Fight for a Cause

A very special took place Saturday, June 4, at Medina Kenpo Karate, located inside the .

The event united the karate center with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, bringing the two groups together with the same goal of "fighting" to prevent childhood cancer. Plenty of medals were on display and ready to be handed out to participants.
 
Young people sat in anticipation prepared to show off what they learned. They proudly displayed their skills before judges.

Since 1994, Medina Kenpo Karate has been providing instruction in Kenpo and the martial arts in the Springfield area.
 
Michelle Sinclair was busy volunteering for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott founded the charity that bears her name in 2000 when she held the first Alex's Lemonade Stand in her parents' front yard in Pennsylvania. She died of cancer in 2004 when she was 8 years old. 

To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $40 million towards fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 150 research projects nationally.
 
Volunteer Sinclair founded this event. Her 10-year-old son, Connor is a student at Medina’s. Connor has a rare type of cancer called Lymphomatoid Papulosis (LyP.)

LyP is a disease of the immune system that manifests itself in self-healing papules and nodules ("bumps" and "spots") that come and go spontaneously. LyP can be persistent with recurrent eruptions or it can disappear for weeks or months at a time before reactivating. LyP is a one in a million disease. The onset of LyP can happen anytime from early childhood to middle age. 

Michelle Sinclair said she is willing to do "whatever it takes" to combat childhood cancer.

There was a lot of support.

Kids received both medals and praises from their instructors and parents.
 
Several adults won medals as well during the tournament.

Click here to see more photos of the event in the Patch viewfinder.