Annette Quinn directs a group children during a rehearsal for a charity variety show that will be held Aug. 23 in the backyard of her Adams Township home. Proceeds will benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand, a national foundation that has raised millions of dollars to combat childhood cancer.

ADAMS TWP — Annette Quinn loves theater and children, two separate passions she combines to make a difference in her community.

Quinn, a nurse at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh, sees daily the effects of cancer on patients and families alike, and she decided to help any way she could. The result is an hour-long variety show directed by Quinn but written and acted primarily by children in elementary and middle school.

The 30 children, ranging in age from 3 to 14, will stage the variety show Aug. 23 in Quinn's spacious backyard at 413 Arbor Drive. Proceeds from the show will be donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand, a national foundation that's raised millions of dollars to combat childhood cancer.

There will also be a lemonade and bake sale at the show, also to benefit the foundation. Tickets to the show, which starts at 7 p.m., cost $2.

A rain date has been set for the same time the following day.

Quinn's variety show, written mostly by the children participating, features relevant themes like dealing with bullying, self-esteem and practicing good habits. The variety show will feature about 10 skits and will last just under an hour.

The show will be the culmination of months of practice for the children. They've come to Quinn's house twice a week since July for practices that typically last almost three hours.

On a hot summer's night in early August, the children start piling into Quinn's backyard for practice. They all get into costume by putting on tie-dyed shirts paid for by Quinn.

In the middle of all the commotion stands Lindsay Seipp, a 13-year-old student at Mars Middle School. Seipp is a de-facto leader of the group, presiding over practices and writing skits for the play. One of her skits involves confronting a bully at a pool, a skit that portrays a universal problem in schools around the country.It's a skit that contains valuable life lessons, she said, a skit that's part of a larger variety show for a very noble cause."This is really a cool thing," she said. "Theater is really a hobby for me, but this show is also a good cause for children."Kaleigh Ruiz, a 13-year-old at Seneca Valley Middle School, stood at another end of Quinn's backyard talking about her skit. It involves a theme of addiction but, since a majority of the children are too young to talk about drugs and alcohol, the skit revolves around an addiction to popping bubble wrap.The variety show and all of its practices are a social event for Ruiz, but she, too, recognizes the underlying meaning."I really like meeting new friends," she said. "But (donating the proceeds to charity) does feel pretty good too."Lori Pontzius of Cranberry Township is no stranger to Quinn's house. She's continually carted her three children, Annie, 14, Jonah, 9, and Elena, 7 to the weekly practices because all three children are in the show.She doesn't mind all the hustle and bustle associated with the practices and any scheduling conflicts that might arise. In her mind, the variety show presents an indispensable lesson that teaches her children the value of giving back to those in need while having fun in the process."What a wonderful way to teach them to give back and have fun at the same time," she said. "It's really a social event for the whole family."Quinn said it's sometimes been "trying" to get 30 children together, especially in the middle of summer when families typically take vacations and other children begin football and cheerleading practice. So far, however, she feels the amount of dedication the youths bring to the variety show will pay off when they take the stage."These are all phenomenal kids," Quinn said. "I think there's so much trouble in the world, I really want the kids to learn good values and good morals, things like self-confidence, teamwork and public speaking. Most of all, though, it teaches them to have fun."