The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student of the Year campaign is a six-week initiative in which nominated high school students, participate in a fundraising competition to raise funds for LLS and win the title Student of the Year. Candidates raise funds in honor of blood cancer patients and survivors.
The candidate who raises the most money at the end of the six weeks is named “Student of the Year” and wins a scholarship to the school or university of their choice.
Anna McDougall
The program is a fantastic opportunity for local area high school students enrolled in public or private schools who are enthusiastic about volunteerism, philanthropy, community outreach, and developing leadership skills to participate in the fight against blood cancers. There are 20 teams/30 students in total from the Atlanta area competing in the campaign “Student of the Year” campaign– 3 teams/4 students are from East Cobb County.
Here are the East Cobb students raising funds:
- Team Hope: Anna McDougall, junior, Walton High School, running in honor of her mother, a leukemia survivor; fundraising link: events.lls.org/pages/ga/AtlantaSOY2017/Anna;
- Team One Step Closer to Change: Amanda Howard & Zack Lacasella, seniors, Pope High School (pictured at the top), who want to make a positive change within the community; fundraising link: events.lls.org/pages/ga/ AtlantaSOY2017/AmandaZack;
- Team Never Surrender: Paige Talarico, junior, Pope High School, running in honor of her childhood friend who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 3; fundraising link: events.lls.org/pages/ga/ AtlantaSOY2017/Paige;
This year’s program is the inaugural campaign for the Georgia Chapter, kicked off on January 13, 2017.
Paige Talarico
For six weeks, the candidate teams are focused on raising as much money as possible for LLS and the mission. The campaign culminates in a Grand Finale Gala on February 25, which will include a reception, silent auction and awards presentation at the Fernbank Museum of National History. For more information on the Student of the Year campaign, visit: www.lls.org/ga or contact Chantal Coxhead, Special Events Campaign Manager, at: Chantal.Coxhead@lls.org or 404-720-7849.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.
It is estimated that there were approximately 4,530 new diagnoses for blood cancer in Georgia in 2016. For more information, visit www.lls.org/ga.
