Three Worthington Kilbourne students, Amelia Murphy, CJ Smith, and Sophia Mosser are Student Visionaries of the Year candidates for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS does a yearly fundraiser to raise money to fight blood cancer. WKHS students have gotten involved to confront a cause that they feel strongly about. The Marrow Mission, run by Murphy, Smith, and Mosser has raised over $6,000 in 2 weeks for LLS, and will continue fundraising until March 7th.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma society has raised over 1.7 billion dollars since its founding in 1949, making it the largest nonprofit organization that contributes to blood cancer research. However, LLS fundraises for more than just blood cancer research.
“Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is an organization that is raising money to support blood cancer research, advocacy, patient care, and more,” Smith says. Smith continues to explain her passion for fundraising for LLS. “When I was in 5th grade my grandmother passed away from multiple myeloma, which is a type of blood cancer,” she described.
Many of the student visionaries have been affected by cancer in some way through their families or friends. In response, Murphy, Smith, and Mosser have all worked extremely hard to develop a passionate team that will be able to reach their goal of $30,000.
“I think that the wide audience that we will have access to will bring in a lot of donations and generosity from others,” Mosser says. The diverse group of team members in The Marrow Mission reflects in their varying donations, and supporters who encourage others to contribute. Mosser encourages “spreading awareness and simply talking about the cause because it can make an immense difference in our success, and telling others about the organization and our goal is an impactful way to get involved and contribute to our efforts!”
Another way The Marrow Mission is working to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and cancer research overall is by getting in touch with the community through social media and business collaborations. Murphy, eager to spread the word, has organized multiple fundraisers with local companies, including: Raising Canes, Rusty Bucket, Kendra Scott, and Roosters. A portion of the sales at these stores will be donated straight to LLS through the Marrow Mission team page.
Murphy says, “I love being able to reach out to others and spread the positive message behind LLS.” Murphy explains how crucial it is to be active throughout the fundraising process, and get creative to maximize contributions. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of the fundraiser, and nothing is a better cause than cancer,” she says.
Many past candidates for LLS have reached astronomical heights with the 2023 winners raising over 1 million dollars, and second place raising over half a million. Successfully fundraising for LLS comes with a massive achievement, Murphy, Smith, and Mosser are all extremely accomplished as first year candidates, and well noticed for their efforts throughout Worthington.
Alyssa Xu, 2023’s LLS runner up for Student Visionary of the Year explained that “even in my first year as a Student Visionaries of the Year candidate, it never ceases to amaze me how much power we have when we come together for the same goal,” added Xu.
