Drink Lemonade for Charlie Saturday

Drink lemonade for Charlie on Saturday, June 4.  And plenty of it!

Charlie is nine-year-old Charlie Ames, son of Garrett and Amy Ames of Barrington, and a third-grader at Nayatt School. He’s recovering well, according to several family friends, after an operation to remove a tumor from his brain a couple of days ago in Boston Children’s Hospital.

That’s the extremely good news.

The not-so-good news involves medical expenses, especially co-pays.

To help Charlie’s parents cope with these expenses, members of “Heartworks,” a 120-member organization founded by Amy Ames that does “random acts of kindness,” and other friends in Barrington, including members of the Nayatt PTO, are raising money for them.

Here is where the lemonade comes in.

Children at Nayatt and other friends of Charlie and his parents are setting up lemonade stands all over Barrington on Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. Approximately 20 stands are accounted for so far, according to Kim Ide, who is coordinating the “Lemonade for Charlie” effort.

That could be the tip of the iceberg, though, said Anne Gasbarro, another Heartworks member and longtime friend of Charlie’s mom. 

“We are encouraging every neighborhood to have one,” said Gasbarro. “If it works for you, do it.” 

Kids love to do lemonade stands, said Ide, whose children suggested this method of raising funds.

Ide said most of the major intersections in Barrington should have a stand. So should most of the sports fields. A lemonade stand also is targeting a lacrosse jamboree in Bristol. 

Can’t make it to one of the lemonade stands on Saturday. You can mail a donation to Heartworks care of: Kelly Walter at 33 Chapin Road. Your donation will go directly to the Ames family as will all the money raised by drinking lemonade. 

Here are some of the locations of Lemonade for Charlie stands on Saturday:

• Bay Road and Governor Bradford Drive
• Ace Hardware on County Road
• East Bay Bike Path (near downtown)
• Sowans School
• Middle Highway
• Martin neighborhood
• Country Club Plat
• RI Country Club entrance
• Chianese Field
• Barrington High School
• Woodmont Court
• Thomas Street
• Ferry Lane
• County Road