Sydnie Bayles kicks off three-week Chicago fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade
She’s raised more money for charity before the 4th grade than most people will in their entire lives. Now, Sydnie Bayles is raising her own bar by partnering with Gurnee-based Suzy’s Swirl to spread her fundraising prowess beyond her home state of Pennsylvania.
On Sunday, July 7th, Sydnie and her mother, Morreen Bayles, held a pep rally for the staff at Suzy’s Swirl on their life’s passion, the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Then, they officially kicked off Suzy’s Swirl’s three-week campaign to raise funds for the national movement dedicated to finding a cure for all children with cancer.
“Sydnie is an amazing little girl, a true inspiration and a reminder to each of us that we can accomplish so much if we have passion and purpose and, as in Sydnie’s case, a clear mission,” said Kathleen Wood, renowned restaurant industry consultant and co-owner of Suzy’s Swirl with her sister Sue. “Alex’s Lemonade is an outstanding organization, and we look forward to swirling yellow over the next several weeks while we raise money to fight childhood cancer.”
Suzy’s Swirl is providing a variety of ways for its loyal customers to support Alex’s Lemonade from now until July 31st. That includes donating proceeds from the sale of its lemon sorbetto, fun lemon toppings and lemon pies to Sydnie’s operation in support of the charity. Customers can also stop in and make a donation, too!
Now in her eighth year of fundraising, nine-year-old Sydnie has already raised more than $106,000 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand from her home base outside Philadelphia. This year alone her goal is to raise $50,000, so she decided to expand her fundraising network. Her ever-supportive mother Morreen, who introduced Sydnie to the non-profit to instill the value of giving back, knew just whom to contact.
“I’ve been friends with Kathleen and Sue for years, so I know what generous souls theyare,” said Morreen. “I knew all it would take was one call and they’d be in. Sure enough, they welcomed Sydnie and me with open arms and agreed to be our partners in the Chicago market.”
Suzy’s Swirl is making every cup count as the frozen dessert restaurant swirls the highest-quality frozen yogurt, sorbetto and gelato while serving up plenty of craveable yellow treats.
“I love frozen yogurt, but I’ve never had a yogurt swirl before,” said Sydnie at the kickoff event. “It was sooo yummy! And I really loved the lemon sorbetto. That’s what I think everyone should order, because it’s delicious and we’ll raise more money for Alex’s Lemonade!”
Suzy’s Swirl is located at 6310 Grand Avenue, Suite 300, in Gurnee, next to Five Guys. For more information on its July fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade, visit www.SuzysSwirl.com. Donations to Sydnie’s fundraising effort may also be made online at www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/111199.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) for Childhood Cancer emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand toraise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. For more information, visit www.alexslemonade.org.
Suzy’s Swirl (www.suzysswirl.com) is a Chicago-based frozen dessert restaurant dedicated to offering the highest-quality frozen yogurt, sorbetto and gelato with craveable, bold flavors. Sisters and co-owners Kathleen Wood, Sue Tierno and Sue’s daughter Jen Tierno have a vision of creating a small business model to franchise with the purpose of reigniting the American Dream. The restaurant’s number one priority is to provide craveable flavors and exceptional customer service to exceed customers’ expectations with every swirl. For more information, visit www.SuzysSwirl.com.
