Most people have been impacted by blood cancers in some way.  We were personally affected by J.C. Delamore, a close friend and classmate.  JC fought an 11-year battle against leukemia with determination and courage. Despite his extensive treatments and experimental procedures like CAR-T therapy, which gave him 3 additional years of life, J.C. lost his fight in May 2018.  In an effort to honor the memory of J.C. Delamore, we have accepted the challenge from LLS to raise money for the cure.

We have been given an opportunity to help others and we cannot do it without the support of our family and friends. Each year, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) launches the Student of the Year fundraising campaign, and during our sophomore year at Eisenhower High School we were honored to be nominated, running as a team #JCStrong.

We are writing today to ask for your support of our campaign and LLS’s mission to find cures for blood cancers and to assist patients and families as they battle leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease or myeloma. 

From January 16^th through March 6^th, our team goal is to raise $100,000! One hundred percent of the funds raised go directly to LLS in support of its longstanding mission. They’ll not only support LLS research but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.

This is an organization that has a mission of funding research to find cures and we are proud to be associated with this effort.

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients, and support advocacy for laws to ensure patients can access the care and treatments they need. Then, we’d like to ask you to reach out to at least one other person you know and ask them to do the same.  As cliché as it sounds, every little bit helps! We thank you in advance for supporting this incredible cause.  We are certain our friends and family are the most generous and strongest among any of the candidates this year and we look forward to letting you know that our campaign has reached its goal! 

Sincerely, 

Jack Elliott, Cael Sanderson, and Jason McCarty

2020 Student of the Year Candidates