A month-long effort to raise money for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer included a very "cool" weekend of fundraising events at Rita's of Branford.

Rita's of Branford is one of 550 franchises nationwide. The Branford store participated in the company's annual June effort to support non-profit Alex's Foundation by collecting donations all month long-and by getting really creative over the weekend of June 25 and 26.

"It was a big weekend for us," said Rita's of Branford owner Marlene Camputaro. "We had a kids' carnival that took place Saturday.We donated everything for the carnival so the $5 fee per child could go to Alex's Foundation. We had a car wash on Sunday with all of my Rita's kids volunteering to wash the cars and the head-shaving effort with European Touch was also on Sunday."

Head-shaving effort? Just as it sounds, for a $5 donation to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, volunteer experts with Branford's European Touch Salon and European Touch Academy of Hair & Cosmetology were on-hand to shave the heads of willing donors, each of whom also received a T-shirt and free ice cream.

"We had close to 10 people who got their heads shaved for a $5 donation and everyone donated more than they were asked," said Camputaro. "European Touch Academy was so gracious. As soon we asked them if they would donate the head shaving, they got involved."

European Touch team members Maria Liguori, Antonio Liguori, Patrick Curran, Noraima Vesques, and salon/academy owner Giulio Liguori set up shop to shave heads from 4 to 6 p.m. on June 26, working under a tent outside of Rita's at 269 East Main Street.

"It's a great feeling when we do things like this-giving back to the community," said Giulio Liguori.

As of press time, Camputaro said the goal of raising $2,000 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation was very close to being met. Rita's has been in town since 2006 and is also a strong supporter of area fundraising efforts, including many done on behalf of local sports and school teams.

"This is our fifth season in Branford," said Camputaro, a North Branford resident. "With every new business, it takes a little while to get into the community and be a part of it. We just did [American Cancer Society] Relay for Life in East Haven and we do a lot of fundraising for schools and sports teams."

And, of course, for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. As a national company, Rita's has been behind the foundation for more than 20 years. In 1986, the company officially and permanently renamed its lemon Italian ice, one of its most popular flavors, Alex's Lemonade.