Ames woman continues to raise money for charity

AMES, Iowa — Grace McCunn is sweet as lemonade, but she has had her own sour experiences.

“As a child, I was in and out of the hospital constantly,” McCunn said. “I was diagnosed with chronic migraines that would last for days at a time.”

Her sister is said to have the same condition and experiences.

Ten-year-old Grace decided to give back to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, where she spent time as a child. One cup of lemonade at a time.

“After that, I decided to give back to the community,” the Ames resident said. “I started a lemonade stand, which eventually turned into a 5k of sorts.”

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Eight years later, it has become an annual tradition at Ada Hayden Park in Ames, and in that time, she has raised more than $170,000.

This year, a portion of the proceeds will go to Blank Children’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Ronald McDonald House.

This past weekend, over 100 people participated in the Amazing Grace Lemonade Race.

People from all walks of life participated, including Grace’s high school teacher, Lauren Booten, who participated for the first time this year. She knew about Grace’s dedication years ago.

“She did a coin drive all three years she was there in high school,” Booten said. “I helped her in eighth grade. We counted coins every day after school. I knew about Grace and what she did and what she stood for and I knew she was raising money for Blank Children’s Hospital. That was really awesome.”

Janet Fisher, senior director of development at Blank Children’s Hospital, says Grace’s fundraising efforts are really making a difference.

“She has set the bar high for our future philanthropists who participate in our Youth Shining Star program,” Fisher said. “Blank Children’s Hospital has a Youth Shining Star program for any student or youth interested in raising money to support Blank Children’s Hospital. It’s all about kids helping kids.”

Grace hopes more people will join her mission and give back.

“I’m really proud of her,” said McCunn’s former teacher, Lauren Booten. “It’s really cool to be a part of it; when people talk about her race or all the things she’s done, I’m like, ‘I was her eighth grade math teacher.’ It’s really cool to say that and just be a part of her journey.”

“I’ve never been so proud to see people from all over Iowa and all over Ames,” McCunn said. “It shows that a lot of people still care about the hospital, but also care about the children and families that are affected.”

This weekend, McCunn raised $30,000. You can still donate via Venmo @Grace-McCunn.

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