The mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is: Cure leukemia,

lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their
families. For the past six weeks, this mission has been very important to team Carpe Diem and I.
As the weeks go by and we continue to raise money, we remember this mission and why we are
doing this campaign. Throughout the Students of the Year campaign, my team I have worked
really hard to communicate this mission with others. For example, we shared the story of
Deondre Lemmons to our friends and family to show that LLS has saved many lives and will
continue to do so. Additionally, when we asked for a donation, we explained the power of a
donation. In doing so, we were able to receive donations by sharing how the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society impacts peoples’ lives. Not only has the LLS mission inspired others to
donate, it has also inspired my team and I to put forth our best effort. The fact that the money
that we raise can go to help families, fund research, and even save a life has truly inspired Team
Carpe Diem and I to do the best that we can. The LLS mission has given us motivation and
encouragement when we’re having a difficult time during the campaign. No matter how stressful
these past weeks have gotten, we kept going forward because in the end it will all be worth it.
Thankfully, blood cancer has not affected my friends, family, or I, however, other cancers have.
My grandma’s father had cancer, my close family friend and neighbor, Michelle, lost a battle to
appendix cancer, and after beating cancer twice, my family friend, Debbie, just recently lost her
life. Not only has cancer affected people in my life, it affects tons of others. This is why I hope
that in doing this campaign I can affect someone’s life. Although my team has a goal of $15,000,
this campaign is more than a competition to see what team can raise the most money, to me this
campaign is about helping others. To share the meaning of this campaign and the mission of
LLS, my team and I tried our hardest to reach as many people as possible. We sent out hundreds
of letters, countless emails, and made many phone calls. My team and I will be doing a charity
week at Lake Shore High School to raise money and awareness of leukemia. Luckily, we were
also able to get a story in the newspaper to share this campaign and raise awareness to the 60,000
people in St. Clair Shores. Senator Peter Lucido read this article and sent me a letter recognizing
our efforts. I am amazed how many people have reached out to help us. We are proud to be a part
of the Students of the Year campaign for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.