Lemonade has long been the drink of choice on hot summer days, but last week several groups of young volunteers found a way to make lemonade quench more than thirst.

The kids put up lemonade stands in various locations on the island to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a pediatric cancer research fund, and the Free Wheel Chair Mission, an organization that gives low-cost wheelchairs to less fortunate people all over the world.

Diane Hasham, a former teacher on the island, came up with the idea to have a lemonade stand to benefit the Free Wheel Chair Mission after reading an article about it in Readers Digest. “Kids always want to do lemonade stands, so I thought instead of them using their money for pizza and ice cream, we could just donate the money,” said Hasham, who was overseeing the lemonade stand in Madaket with six children from a day camp she runs each summer.

The Free Wheel Chair Mission was founded in 1999 when mechanical engineer Don Schoendorfer used his technical expertise to create a simple, rugged and inexpensive wheelchair for less fortunate people around the world. Since its creation, the fund has delivered over 66,000 wheelchairs to physically challenged people in more than 43 countries.

Nine-year-old Esme Westerlund was one of the six volunteers enthusiastically pushing lemonade on passersby last Friday. “I think it’s a great cause and it’s a great price to change someone’s life,” said Westerlund, who added she thought it was amazing that someone could make something from a plastic chair to change someone’s life.

In three days, the eager fundraisers managed to raise more than $360, enough money to pay for nine wheelchairs, which cost just $41.17 to manufacture. “We’re getting a ton of support from the community,” said Hasham. “People are giving us a lot of donations.”

She said one man was even kind enough to donate enough money to buy a whole chair.

Hasham has gotten behind the cause so much she said she’s planning to buy a wheelchair to be donated on behalf of each of her volunteers, hopefully inspiring more people to donate to the fund.

Photo by Alicia Hull From left, Lily Metcalfe, 7; Lisa Genthner, 8; Amelia Ames, 10; Farrell Duce, 7; Katherine Murphy, 6; and Kelsea Ames at the Alex’s Lemonade Stand in front of St. Mary’s Church last Wednesday.

The Free Wheel Chair Mission volunteers were not alone in their mission to sell lemonade for charity. Around 45 volunteers, using the slogan “fighting cancer one cup at a time,” turned out last Wednesday to sell lemonade for Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand was inspired by Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who battled neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, for seven and a half years in Connecticut and Pennsylvania before she died at the age of 8, one year ago Monday. Diagnosed when she was just 1 year old, Alex decided to do something “to help kids get better” when she was 4 and set up a lemonade stand to raise money for cancer research. She raised $2,000 that summer and continued to raise money and inspire others to do the same until her final days. To date, Alex’s Lemonade stand has raised over $1 million for cancer research.

The owners of Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Afleet Alex say they were inspired by Scott’s story and have also donated a portion of the thorougbred’s winnings to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Similar to Hasham’s encounter with the Free Wheel Chair Mission, Janet Flanagen, a Nantucket preschool teacher, read an article about Alex’s story in People two years ago and was inspired to help. After deciding to get involved, Flanagen looked to 10-year-old Kali Sherburne and her mother Lisa for help, knowing that Kali had previously been involved with charity fundraisers.

After some on-line research and contacting the Alex’s Lemonade Stand organization with help from four girls from her day camp, Flanagen said the group began making posters and banners to get ready for their big day. With some generous donations from local businesses and a test of their organizational skills, the groups managed to put up seven lemonade stands all over the island and raise over $2,000.

“The community has been great,” said Flanagen, who added that their success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of so many people.

“I feel really good about it,” Sherburne said about her involvement with the lemonade stand.

Also using lemonade to benefit other people in a less serious manner, a group of boisterous lemonade-sellers from the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club raised $57 on Monday to buy ice cream for their fellow members and gave the left over-money to the Club.