Bensalem Moms Fight Cancer One Cup at a Time

The perfect solution to Wednesday's blistering summer heat sat on a table near the Imagination Land Playground on Hulmeville Road. For just a few hours, visitors of the playground could help themselves to a cold cup of lemonade and help raise money to fight childhood cancer.

The ALex's Lemonade Stand fundraiser joins the numerous charitable activities organized by the MOMS Club of Bensalem, the local branch of an international organization that has tapped into the power of a mom on a mission.

The 40-plus members of the Bensalem club have actively recast the idea of the stay at home mom from the stereotypical image of someone who spends the day all alone keeping up the household, chauffeuring children to soccer practices and preparing meals to an indispensable resource for fundraising organization and support.

"We've raised $400 for the Bensalem library," said chapter president Wendi Mailliard. "Just recently we raised $4,600 to help the Make-a-Wish Foundation send a little girl and her family to Disneyworld."

Giving back to the community is a big part of the MOMS Club activities, but the group also provides support for its own members. Playdates are scheduled for the kids, and they also hold forums where just the mothers can get together and have an adult conversation.

"Our kids have built some amazing friendships together," said Mailliard. "I'm not from the area originally, so I don't have a lot of family nearby. These women have become my extended family."

The membership fee to join the MOMS Club is $25 a year. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Any mothers interested in joining can e-mail Bensalem.momsclub@yahoo.com.