By: Kaylee Simmons

“I joined LLS because my aunt was diagnosed with leukemia when she was a baby,” junior Cali Harnish said. “I hope every cancer patient becomes a cancer survivor like her.”

“I joined LLS because my grandma has been diagnosed with leukemia for a while now,” junior Venus Aggarwal said. “It’s the older adults’ leukemia, so it’s not life-threatening, but it doesn’t make her life any better. She has gotten tremendous support and treatment, and I hope every cancer patient can get well.”

Lots of people are affected by cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to finding cures for all blood cancers and improving the quality of life for patients,” Emilee Barnett, Campaign Development Manager, said. “Student Visionaries of the Year (SVOY) is one of our fundraising programs that involves teams of high school students competing to raise the most funds while they receive leadership development.”

Everyone who joins LLS intends to support, raise awareness, and help fight leukemia and lymphoma.

Cali Harnish and Venus Aggarwal are Bellbrook High School’s LLS candidates this year. Being a candidate means that they plan events, manage funds, attend meetings, and try to make an impact on the lives of people fighting blood cancers.

“Candidates are typically nominated by someone on my leadership committee or a past candidate,” Barnett said. “However, anyone can nominate a student for the program, and there’s an online application form if students want to self-nominate.”

There are also lots of team members participating in LLS. BHS has 28 team members this year.

“I am a team member on Soaring for a Cure,” BHS junior Kalynn Schaaf said. “Therefore, I collect donations and attend and volunteer at the events.”

Team members are also allowed to plan their own events as long as they are run by team leaders Harnish and Aggarwal. Students can become a team member at any point in the campaign.

“You can join LLS by emailing Venus Aggarwal or myself,” Harnish said. “We can send you a link to sign up and you can help us collect funds for the remainder of the campaign!”

LLS has hosted many events already this year. All the money from tickets or anything someone might buy at an event goes straight to the LLS fundraiser. “It varies year by year, but fundraising typically lasts seven weeks for SVOY,” Barnett said. “For the Dayton competition this year, fundraising runs from February 12 – April 4.”

This is the second year that Bellbrook is doing LLS fundraising. Harnish and Aggarwal both did LLS last year as a team member, then this year as a candidate.

There is lots to do in preparation for this campaign.

“Venus and I were officially elected into LLS in September/October,” Harnish said. “We started having meetings in December. Since December, we’ve been searching for sponsorships, planning our fundraisers, scheduling restaurant takeovers, and recruiting team members.”

Some of the events that they have had already are Sweark For A Cure and some restaurant takeovers. Much more is to come. There will be more restaurant takeovers, a gala, a babysitting event, and a 5k.

“The best way to become a candidate is to help the current team at your school out in a big way that helps you stick out so that they hopefully choose you to nominate,” Barnett said. “If someone wants to be a team member, they ask the current candidate if they can join. There are lots of ways to be involved with LLS beyond SVOY. You can find information about other volunteer opportunities on our website.”

“Beyond research, LLS provides support for patients going through treatment. If you or someone you know has been affected by blood cancer, please connect them to the experts at our Information Research Center,” Barnett said. “These experts help in many ways including providing information on a diagnosis, connecting patients to others who have gone through the same treatments, and guiding them in applying for grants for financial assistance.”

“We’ve done so much in the campaign to raise money, but we’ve also done things that directly impact patients in the hospital,” Harnish said. “We’ve collected 300 cards for patients and have donated them to hospitals, and plan to donate more impactful things before the end of the campaign. We also got a tour of the blood cancer unit in the children’s hospital, and met with Dayton Children’s head event coordinator.”

“This campaign is a truly great thing,” Schaaf said. “I’m glad I am able to participate.”

To donate to the campaign, go here: https://events.lls.org/sohd/svoydayton25/vaggarwal