Students of the Year
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Students of the Year is an exciting leadership development and philanthropy program in which high school students participate in a fundraising competition to benefit LLS’s efforts in fighting against and ending blood cancers.
For motivated high school students, this program ensures they stand out among their peers when engaging with colleges and/or future employers. Through guidance and mentoring from experienced professionals at LLS, they will make a lasting impact.
“These last six weeks have been some of the most stressful, but rewarding weeks of my life and I will never ever forget them. Plus, all of the sweat and tears were totally worth it at the gala, which by the way was one of the best nights of my life. I ‘ve learned so much about LLS and their mission and it reaffirmed my desire to go into the medical profession. The experience has taught me a variety of things but one of the things that resonates with me the most is that everyone can make a difference, and even though we fought for every dollar that we raised for LLS I truly believe that we did make a difference.”
-Hannah Cevenini, 2016 SOY Participant
Quick Facts
• The Students of the Year campaign is a spirited 6 to 7 week fundraising event in which high school students set out to raise as much money as they can for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
• 2017 competition will run from January 12 to February 25 2017, with a Grand Finale Gala on February 25 at The Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. The top fundraising team is named Student/s of the Year and continues on to compete for the national title.
• The 2017 campaign goal is to reach $750,000. The Students of the Year campaign was initiated by the National Capital Area Chapter and has grown to 42 LLS chapters around the country; it is in its fourth year and continues to grow.
Details
Meet this year’s National Capital Area candidates.
Each year, in communities across the country, dedicated student candidates engage in an exciting competition to earn The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) “Student/s of the Year” title. Raising funds for LLS blood cancer research, candidates compete in honor of local high school students who are blood cancer survivors.
Every dollar raised counts as a vote and titles are awarded to the team with the most votes at the end of the campaign. Top local fundraisers become eligible to win national titles.
Candidates form fundraising teams and use their contacts and creativity to raise funds. Each candidate and their team members are provided personalized fundraising webpages and goal planning through LLS staff. The campaign also includes events, e.g., a kickoff celebration that allow candidates to meet LLS staff, other candidates and local business leaders. The Grand Finale Gala is a celebration of students’ collective efforts and includes food, music and a silent auction.
How to Participate
Candidates for Students of the Year share a compassion for others. They are dynamic individual student leaders who are connected to their communities and relentless in their efforts to raise funds to find cures for blood cancers.
There are many ways you can participate in the Students of the Year campaign. If you are a high school student and enjoy friendly competition for a great cause with a lot of impact, Students of the Year would be a great way to explore leadership and fundraising. You may nominate yourself or someone you know, or ask someone to nominate you. You may run as an individual or as a team of up to 3 candidates. Although applications for this year have been closed, the Students of the Year campaign is always interested in meeting students; recruitment for 2018 will begin in March 2017.
Sponsorships are still being accepted for 2017. Please visit our website for more information.
All proceeds benefit LLS’s mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and to improve the quality of lives of patients and their families. LLS is the world’s largest national voluntary health organization dedicated to curing blood cancers improving the quality of life of patients.
