HELPING HANDS

Even if someone hadn't heard about the two little girls selling lemonade and flowers last week, chances are they would have stopped at the corner of North Jackson and First Streets in Minneota after reading the homemade sign the girls made.
"Flowers and lemonade. Free will donation. For our daddy's cancer," the sign read a few feet away from where Ella, 8, and Ariana, 6, sat at a table with a big jug of lemonade resting on one side of the table and dozens of potted flowers sitting all around the lawn.
Galen Lanners, the girls' father, is battling stage-4 colon/endocrine cancer.
"We're taking things a day at a time and putting things in God's hands," said Galen's wife, Jamie, as she spoon-fed their 8-month-old son, Ian.
Galen, who co-owns Lanners Brothers Construction in Marshall, is a 1998 Minneota High School graduate.
It was the Lanners sister's idea to sell lemonade at the house where Galen grew up to help the family with medical costs. That's when Ashley Pesch got involved. Pesch noticed the girls' sign and, like others who read it, wanted to help in any way she could. Although not a relative or even acquainted with the Lanners' family, Ashley decided to pot some flowers and donate them to the girls to sell. First, though, she messaged Jamie on Facebook to see if it was okay. With Jamie's approval and with the help of neighbor Jackie Jeremiason, Ashley made up close to 50 pots of flowers in various sizes and shapes and brought them to the Lanners' home.
"We spent a few evenings with our kiddos getting our hands dirty," said Ashley. "It really was successful, but only with the help of many, and so cool to see how many people offered to help in any way they could."
"It was incredible the amount of work that they did to make up all these flowers," said Jamie. "it was just so nice of them to think of us."
Police Chief Bill Bolt posted about the girls' booth on the city's Facebook to help get the word out.
On Tuesday, July 25, many vehicles could be seen stopping at the Lanners girls' booth.
There were monetary donations of all amounts. Some people stopped to donate without even getting lemonade or flowers.
"I think it was amazing," said Jamie. "We only had about 15 flower pots left. Minneota seems to always have so many people step up to help even without knowing the people they are helping." 
If anyone would like to assist the family with a donation, you can send it to: Galen & Jamie Lanners, 2977 State Highway 68, Marshall, MN 56264, or by PayPal at paypal.me/JamieEngerLanners or Venmo @Jamie-Lanners-1.