(The Liu (Liam, Lexi, Jackie and Yan) and Laidlaw (Jack, Anna, Richard, Scott and Tom) families, along with their young friends, gathered at the last day of Liam’s Lemonade Stand Porch Concert for SPG4. Liam and Jack are front and centre. Photos: Stittsville Central)
The community came out in full force this past week to show their kindness and generosity to support the advancement of SPG4 gene therapy for human clinical trials at Liam’s Lemonade fundraiser for his buddy Jack. This is the second year that Liam has held his fundraiser to support his best friend Jack and it has grown into a week-long event.
All week, neighbours, friends, school and hockey mates have been there to help Liam and Jack serve lemonade to the hundreds of people who came by. From Ottawa Senators players, Stittsville business owners to our firefighters – everyone showed up to support the cause. The week came to an epic end with a Porch Concert at which Stittsville’s own Caribou Road shared their musical talents.
On Saturday evening, Anna shared, “we have no family here, they are all out west, and the Liu family are a huge part of our family. We can’t thank them enough for all they do to support us!”
It was incredible to see such generosity and kindness from our community and a week that the Liu and Laidlaw families won’t soon forget. Liam has incredibly raised $9,565.15 thanks to our community that will go a long way to support a cure for SPG4.
Liam also reminds everyone that there is only, “357 days until Liam’s Lemonade Stand 2027”.
Jack was diagnosed with SPG4 in 2023, which slowly causes neurons in the brain to degenerate and results in progressive paralysis. The family is raising funds to help researchers in the United States advance a vital gene therapy into human clinical trials. The Stittsville community has rallied behind the family with continuous fundraising events, including local galas, loonie circles, car washes and Liam’s popular lemonade fundraiser.
Liam’s Dad put together this video sharing the amazing week at Liam’s Lemonade Stand –https://www.facebook.com/reel/1974199713211493
The next important fundraiser is Jack’s Gala: Reaching for the Stars returning on May 30th, 2026 and again being hosted at the Brookstreet Hotel. The space-themed gala will honor eight-year-old Jack – an aspiring astronaut who dreams of one day being the first person to walk on Mars. Jack’s courage and determination remind us that no dream is too big, and no challenge is too great when a community comes together.
The evening will also feature live entertainment by musical guest Stittsville’s Tyler Kealey, emcee Derick Fage, and auctioneer Dylan Black.
The special guest speaker will be astronaut, Dr. Dave Williams. Selected as an astronaut by the Canadian Space Agency in 1992, Dr. Williams is an astronaut, aquanaut, pilot, emergency physician, scientist, and CEO. He has flown to space twice, once on the space shuttle Columbia and once on Endeavour.
At last year’s event, $100,000 was raised to support the research for SPG4 thanks to the generosity of our community. All proceeds from this year’s gala will again fund groundbreaking SPG4 research.
To purchase tickets to attend this extraordinary evening, visit the Jack’s Gala: Reaching for the stars website. Should you wish to be a sponsor, send an email to: jacks_gala@outlook.com. To discover more, make a donation, or view a touching video from last year’s gala visit the jacksgala website.
