Terri Lapp, left, and daughter Amy Petz were among those at the second annual Alex's Lemonade Stand in memory of Petz's son, Benny. The event was a fundraiser for pediatric cancer research.

Photos by greg bryan / arizona daily star

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Benny's gone, but his kindness goes on

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On what would have been Benny Petz's sixth birthday, his family, friends and more than 200 others gathered at Reid Park on Saturday to raise money for children stricken with cancer as he was before his death a year ago.

In about eight hours, the lemonade stand run by Benny's family and 25 volunteers made $4,750, Benny's mother, Amy Petz, said Saturday night.

That is not the grand total because donations are still coming in via mail, and money donated online has yet to be tallied. But it does fall short of last year's earnings of $14,000 and the $25,000 goal set by a national foundation for pediatric cancer research.

"There were not as many people as last year, but it was pretty hot so I'm amazed anyone came out," Amy Petz said. "Then again, Benny wasn't sitting under the tree like he did last year either. He had a way of bringing people in. He was kind of irresistible."

Besides, the amount of money raised is not as important, Amy added. "What is important is how we spent his birthday and the fact that we were able to spread the word about who Benny was and about pediatric cancer," she said.