HTeaO Partners with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to Support the Fight Against Childhood Cancer

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HTeaO Partners with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to Support the Fight Against Childhood Cancer

2025-05-01 21:02 Last Updated At：21:10

FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2025--

This May, HTeaO is proud to support Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) as part of its ongoing commitment to Brewing Purpose. The nation’s leading iced tea franchise is inviting customers to join the fight against childhood cancer by rounding up their total at checkout or hosting their own lemonade stand to raise additional funds and awareness.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250501995866/en/

As a visual symbol of this effort, HTeaO will swap out its signature blue straws for yellow straws throughout the month of May, giving a nod to gold, the color most commonly associated with pediatric cancer awareness.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is the largest independent childhood cancer charity in the U.S. focused on funding critical research and supporting families. Since young founder Alex Scott hosted her first lemonade stand in 2000, ALSF has raised over $300 million, funded more than 1,500 research projects at nearly 150 institutions across North America and Europe, and helped over 15,000 families, including to access the care they need through programs like Travel For Care.

“Brewing Purpose is about serving our communities in ways that go far beyond our product,” said Heath Nielsen, President at HTeaO. “Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is doing extraordinary work, and this partnership gives our guests the opportunity to join a powerful movement that’s helping children and families across the country.”

All month long, HTeaO customers can visit any location and round up their purchase to the nearest dollar, with 100% of those proceeds going directly to ALSF. Guests will also find in-store signage featuring a QR code that links to step-by-step instructions for setting up a personal fundraising page and hosting their own lemonade stand. Participants can even request a free packet of lemonade stand materials to be delivered directly to their home.

“We are delighted that HTeaO has chosen to partner with us this May!” said Liz Scott, Alex’s mom and Co-Executive Director at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. "We are so grateful to be joined by a community of franchisees coming together to help end childhood cancer.”

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children in the U.S., yet research for pediatric cancers remains significantly underfunded. With the support of partners like HTeaO and its customers, ALSF continues to fill critical research gaps and bring hope to families nationwide.

To get involved, visit any HTeaO location during the month of May to round up your total or scan the in-store QR code to launch your own lemonade stand fundraiser.

About HTeaO

HTeaO, the leading iced tea franchise in the United States, has ascended as a frontrunner within this niche, a growing category within the beverage industry. With a cost-effective, highly-attractive business model, the brand operates their own supply chain, resulting in significantly reduced costs of goods. Offering a range of ultra-premium tea, water, and coffee products, HTeaO caters to customers both in-store and through convenient drive-thru services. Each location boasts 20+ meticulously crafted flavors of sweetened and unsweetened tea, made using a proprietary water filtration system and 100% natural ingredients. In January 2023, HTeaO announced a minority partnership with two Dallas-based private equity firms, Crux Capital and Trive Capital, signaling a strategic move for stable expansion. Hitting a significant milestone of 100 locations in early 2024, HTeaO is on the path of continued growth. HTeaO believes in fostering an atmosphere where all are welcoming, and takes pride in its commitment to giving back to its local communities. For more information on franchise opportunities, please visit https://HTeaO.com/franchise/.

About Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of 4-year-old Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who was fighting cancer and wanted to raise money to find cures for all children with cancer. By the time Alex passed away at the age of 8, she had raised $1 million. Since then, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a worldwide fundraising movement and the largest independent childhood cancer charity in the U.S. ALSF is a leader in funding pediatric cancer research projects across the globe and providing programs to families affected by childhood cancer. For more information, visit AlexsLemonade.org.

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.