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Night Of Dinner, Dancing, & Sweet Intentions At 2017 Lemon Ball

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Marriott in Center City was shaded yellow Saturday night.

Around 1,000 people showed up for Alex's Lemonade Stand's annual black tie gala "the Lemon Ball."

"It's a night where we celebrate Alex's life, and we also honor people or organizations who have been really helpful to the cause," said Liz Scott -- Alex's mother and co-executive director of the charity. "We have auctions and raffles and we hope to raise a ton of money."

She's overjoyed by all the support.

"It's special, I mean it's hard to describe. It really is incredible and we feel really really lucky."

Among the items being auctioned off: Liz's Lemon Cookies, which alone have raised over $125,000.

Lemon Ball Fountain of Wishes
The Lemon Ball Fountain of Wishes.credit cbs

Helping with the auction and greeting guests was 14-year-old David Gibson. While battling cancer in 2015 he volunteered with Alex's Lemonade Stand often.

Now cancer-free, he's just as excited to help the cause, "To have some fun and help raise money for Alex's Lemonade stand."

He and his family were greeting guests and helping with the auction.

"People are having a good time, buying a lot of stuff, helping them reach their $1 million goal," said David.

In the main ballroom was the Fountain of Wishes where children -- some cancer survivors -- wrote down words of hope.

The event featured CBS 3's own Ukee Washington and Jessica Dean as emcees.

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