Eight-Year-Old Makes $850 Donation

To Bennett Cancer Center

 STAMFORD — Eight-year-old Aimee Alexander of Newtown recently presented The Bennett Cancer Center with a donation of more than $850 that she raised in honor of her grandfather, Don Vacheron, who is undergoing treatment there.

Aimee decided over a month ago that she wanted to raise money for the center in lieu of presents for her eighth birthday. She got to work raising money by operating a lemonade stand with her two sisters, sending notes to friends and relatives asking for donations instead of birthday presents, and even searching for change in furniture cushions.

Aimee’s grandfather, grandmother. and mother were on hand as she presented Bennett Cancer Center Administrator of Oncology Services Elizabeth Manfredo with the donations, including several rolls of coins. Family members joined Cancer Center physicians and staff in singing “Happy Birthday” and sharing a chocolate birthday cake in honor of Aimee.

“I did this in honor of my grandfather Don Vacheron — I call him Pa,” said Aimee in a letter to the center accompanying the donation. “He has lung cancer and is being treated at the Bennett [Cancer] Center — and he has been very happy with their care for him. I hope this donation can help others that are fighting cancer, too.”

Stamford Health Foundation is the fundraising arm of Stamford Hospital, a not-for-profit provider of comprehensive healthcare services in lower Fairfield County. The mission of Stamford Hospital is to provide, together with its physicians, a broad range of high quality health and wellness services focused on the needs of our communities. Stamford Hospital is affiliated with the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and is a major teaching affiliate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.