5th Annual Lily's Tea Party raises funds for St. Jude's

Walking through the door on April 7 in Prairieville, you're greeted with an array of tea bag decorations and carnations.

At the door, Lily handed out pink and yellow carnations to the children who were attending the Tea Party. Not because it's her favorite flower, but just because she wanted to. The flowers were provided by the Floral Cottage.

Juliette Raffray, Lily's mother, said, "All of the money that we raise from this event goes directly back to St. Jude's. We try to get as many donated items as possible so we keep the costs from minimal to none. Last year, we raised $10,000 dollars from this event. We have about 165 people attending this year, so I anticipate to raise around the same amount this year."

Lily's Tea Party is going on it's fifth year. Lily was diagnosed in kindergarten, at the age of five, with Hodgkins Lymphoma, which was located in her neck. The cancer was caught early, though, and she underwent three months of chemotherapy.

Now, Lily is in fourth grade and has been in remissions for the last five years. Once a year, she will go for a check-up at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. until she is 18 years old. She is not currently receiving treatments since she is in remission.

Lily previously received eight weeks of treatment at the St. Jude Baton Rouge Affiliate Clinic at Our Lady of the Lake Children's Health.

Alice from Alice in Wonderland made an appearance at the event, too, and walked around to play with children during the tea party. Her basket was full of fun games and books to play with.

Follow Darian on Twitter @dariangshark.