Teens of Millburn Stive to Raise Money to Fight Blood Cancers

By Jackie Schatell

Millburn residents Madeleine Kayyali, 16, and Sophie Capone, 15, are on a mission to raise money—a lot of money, for research and a cure for blood cancers. They are doing this as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, where they have set a goal of raising at least $50,000 during a seven-week campaign. The campaign will start on January 11 and run until March 4, where it will culminate with a grand finale celebration. Last year’s winners raised over $84,000.

The Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign is an initiative in which nominated high school students participate in a fundraising challenge to benefit the LLS. Candidates generally raise money in honor of a hero who is battling or in remission from a blood cancer. The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the program is named Student Visionary of the Year for their local chapter. Participants work with a mentor and learn important skills throughout the program including leadership, communication, marketing, finance, and budgets.

Sophie’s connection to blood cancer is close to home. Her grandmother passed away from it. She says that her dad’s involvement with the Society instilled a desire in her to participate in this campaign. Madeleine heard about the campaign from Sophie and decided to join her in her endeavor.

“This will be a great opportunity for me,” says Sophie. “It will not only teach me leadership skills, it will give me the opportunity to help so many people.”

Agreeing with Sophie, Madeleine says, “It will be so great to do something that uses my skills and lets me do good. I want to make the world a better place.”

The girl’s mentor Tess Badenhausen says, “This campaign is a way to teach kids about giving back at an early age.”

The young ladies have been planning their campaign prior to the January launch. They will be sending letters to family and friends, as well as to local businesses, asking them to donate to the cause. They say that the Millburn community is “great about helping local charities” and that they plan to reach out to the community to create partnerships as well. The girls also have some events planned, which include a garage sale scheduled for January 14, a dog walk scheduled for February 18, and a bake sale. In addition, they are trying to grow their team, which is called Team Bloodbound.

According to the website, the LLS funds leading-edge research for every type of blood cancer including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other rare types of blood cancers. As the largest nonprofit funder of cutting-edge blood cancer research to advance cures, LLS has invested more than $1.5 billion in cancer research since it started in 1949, leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine that are improving and saving the lives of patients. Over the last five years, LLS helped advance 75% of the almost 100 FDA-approved blood cancer treatment options.

To donate: https://bit.ly/ClickheretodonateLLS

If you know someone that goes above and beyond, send an email to jackie.subessex@gmail.com