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Date: 7/11/2023
NORTHAMPTON — A national movement made its way through Northampton on July 1 thanks to a Smith College senior who wanted to make it happen.
Kaylee Newbanks, a rising senior at the school, hosted a pink lemonade stand during downtown Northampton’s Summer on Strong event to help raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The stand was part of the grander movement called the Pink Lemonade Stand Challenge, a nonprofit that raises funds for breast cancer research involving prevention and a cure.
Newbanks, who volunteers as a college intern with the PLSC, said the PLSC also aims to spread awareness about the BCRF, which researches different ways in which we can put an end to cancer.
The PLSC in particular began in 2016 by a then-7-year-old girl named Brynne Rhodes, who decided to open a lemonade stand in honor of her mother, Kim, who was in treatment for breast cancer at the time. Brynne Rhodes decided to make it a PINK lemonade stand, and Kim vowed to match every dollar raised by the stand.
Since this movement started, the PLSC has reached at least 38 states and has raised more than $182,000 for the BCRF. Some of these stands have occurred in the state, but mainly in the Boston area. The one in Northampton was the first one in the city.
According to Newbanks, the lemonade was free, but people were asked to donate when they come up to the stand. On July 1, Newman said $188 was raised in cash while $150-$200 was raised through Venmo.
“One of our main missions isn’t just to get funds, but it’s also to educate people on breast cancer risks and the statistics on it,” said Newbanks, on the PLSC.
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Newbanks said her work with breast cancer awareness is inspired by her grandmother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer around the time Newman was born and has been in remission ever since.
Newbanks, who grew up in San Diego, said she has spent a lot of time with her grandmother over the years on the west coast, especially during the coronavirus pandemic when she was taking classes over Zoom.
“My grandmother is great,” Newbanks said. “As a kid, my parents would drop me off there and go to work … I’ve spent a lot of time with her.”
The philanthropy work with PLSC falls right in line with Newbanks’ temperament as a rising senior at Smith College who studies Music and Psychology with a concentration in Community Engagement and Social Change.
Aside from working with the PLSC, Newbanks has also worked with Epic Sciences as an office intern to help organize paperwork for cancer detection research they completed. But beyond that, she also wants to learn more about the BCRF so she can continue the awareness work after the internship.
One specific goal in the future, according to Newbanks, is to find a way for insurance companies to cover mammograms for people who are younger.
“When you’re younger and you want to get examined, insurance companies aren’t likely to cover it,” said Newbanks. “That’s a big initiative because most people like breast cancer only affects older people, but there are a lot of younger affected by breast cancer too.”
To continue the work, Newbanks said another lemonade stand will be planned in the near future as well as an even bigger breast cancer awareness event sometime this fall.