The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Georgia Chapter is now accepting applications from high schoolers for its 2017 Students of the Year Campaign. The 2016 campaign raised $225,000 to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s efforts to find treatments and cures for blood cancers. Students work with the organization’s staff to set goals and execute fundraising strategies and can win scholarships. Infirmation: www.lls.org/ga/soy
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Georgia Chapter recently completed its first Students of the Year Campaign, in which high school students raised an impressive $225,000 to fight blood-related cancers. Ally Winkler of East Cobb raised almost $27,000 over a six week period. And she did it while finishing up her high school career. But as you’ll read, Winkler’s efforts to raise the money were very personal. She lost her grandfather, Harold Winkler, to leukemia shortly before the campaign kicked off.
Q: How did you get involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?
A: My dad has been involved with the Georgia chapter for a long time. I volunteered with him at events, but never was personally involved in a campaign. Then about six years ago, my grandpa was diagnosed with a form of leukemia. He passed away in September. Soon thereafter, my dad told me about the Students of the Year campaign and I was excited to participate.
Q: Your grandfather’s death coincided with the campaign. Was that hard?
A: My grandpa was the first person I was very close to and lost. I had to push through. The campaign was a good opportunity to do something positive in his memory, and for my grandma and dad, and to get the whole family involved.
Q: How did the disease affect your grandfather?
A: He was a big, strong guy and he would get chemo and then go out shopping an hour later. He even continued his hobbies while he was hospitalized. It was hard for me to process how sick he actually was because he lived each day to the fullest and never complained. Even when his disease progressed and he became weaker, he always stayed positive and hopeful.
Q: How did you fundraise?
A: I raised much of the money online, through a link to my Leukemia & Lymphoma Society donor page on Facebook. I met with people directly and I also got help from family and friends. We held some fundraisers through local restaurants, did yoga events in Atlanta and Chicago and had a trunk show at a store. We also got a couple of company donations and that really helped.
Q: Did raising the money take up a lot of time?
A: It really did. It took a lot of planning, a lot of writing letters and thank you notes, a lot of postings for donations. It was gratifying to see everyone's generosity, which inspired me to do more.
Q: Where is the money going?
A: The money raised goes toward research and support. There has been tremendous progress toward developing new treatments. Every dollar counts toward finding a cure not just for leukemia, but other cancers.
Q: What do you think your efforts meant to your family?
A: I know that doing this in honor of my grandpa meant a lot to my dad. My grandma was touched by the whole thing. My mom and brother were very supportive and proud.
Q: What did you learn through this process?
A: I was really touched by a lot of the donations. While I anticipated that certain people I knew would donate, I received many extremely generous donations from people I did not even know. Just the kindness and the community feeling really touched me and inspired me. I learned that we all can make a difference toward helping others.
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