GLOBAL LEADERS
competition. Prior to the campaign launch, the students attended information sessions with LLS Senior Manager of Special Events Chantal Robertson. They also practiced writing letters to major corporations, drafting emails and delivering pitches. “Candidates and their team members receive ample guidance and mentoring from experienced LLS staff and past candidate mentors to develop and execute a plan each year; [however], this is their campaign to own and implement,” Robertson says. Team Fighter approached fundraising from several angles. They reached out to 19 businesses including Dickey Broadcasting Company, Global Payments and TSYS, released a homemade music video to Keith Urban’s 2017 hit “Fighter” and hosted a fundraiser at Scofflaw Brewing Co. Furthermore, Loughran and Shoulberg enlisted the help of both family and friends in the community. When asked what their secret to success was, Loughran replies, “we just had fun with it.”
THE LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY’S
F
Students of the Year Campaign
or seniors KHAKI LOUGHRAN (pictured right) and JORDAN SHOULBERG (left), cancer hit home. Loughran’s younger brother, Pace seventh-grader JORDAN LOUGHRAN, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of two, and Shoulberg’s late uncle, Pace parent SCOTT SELIG, battled stage IV lung cancer. What sets these young women apart from many millions of other families that experience cancer every year is their response. Loughran and Shoulberg took on the challenge of raising funds toward a cure for the disease. This past winter, Loughran and Shoulberg competed in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s annual Students of the Year (SOY) campaign under the name “Team Fighter.” “The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) was integral in research for the drug that helped to treat my brother,” says Loughran. “I wanted to show my thanks to them while at the same time joining the fight, so other people can hear the words ‘you’re cancer free.’” Sporting “F*** Cancer” bracelets and neon pink shirts, the pair fought their way to victory in the competition. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s mission is “to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.” The SOY campaign is a seven-week competition dedicated to teaching students philanthropy and leadership through fundraising. In 2018, 69 high school students from the metro-Atlanta area participated in the
Having fun, obviously, was the perfect tactic. On March 3, Shoulberg and Loughran were named this year’s SOY winners. Raising over $350,000 in seven weeks, the duo embodied what it meant to be a fighter in every sense. “[My uncle] taught me to embrace the now and not worry as much about the future,” Shoulberg says. “After he passed away, I knew it was my time to make a difference. I needed to embrace this now.” The funds raised by Team Fighter nearly tripled the amount raised in the past by any Atlanta SOY team and have put Loughran and Shoulberg in the running for a national LLS title. Loughran adds, “Jordan is now healthy, happy and cancer-free. With such a personal experience involving blood cancer, my family was inspired by SOY—it showed us all the new treatments coming to light and gave us hope that a cure for blood cancer is around the corner.” Shoulberg and Loughran were not the only Knights to support SOY’s cause; juniors CHARLIE HIRSCH, KYLIE BLANK and ANNABELLE CRITZ also participated in the campaign. In fact, Blank and Hirsch were the runner-up team, raising $242,706. “The passion, drive to make a difference and hard work from Khaki, Jordan, Kylie, Charlie, Annabelle and past Pace Academy candidates truly set the example for all students for years to come,” Robertson says.
— by SLOAN WYATT ’18
KnightTimes | Spring 2018
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