Hi! My name is Lucy Cai, thanks so much for taking the time to look at my page! Here's a little bit about myself:

I am currently a junior at Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia. I'm also a member of the Oakton High School Dance Team. You might have seen us perform during halftime at our football games, during our regional competitions, or even during our national competition down in Orlando, Florida! In addition to my school's dance team, I have been dancing at with studios for 12 years, competing in styles such as lyrical, open, jazz, and even Chinese folk dance. Outside of dance, I have always been very involved in volunteering and leadership programs. From dancing at a senior center to playing flute for veterans at Honor Flight to attending the VA HOBY Leadership Seminar, giving back to the community has been and will always be a core passion of mine, hence my participation in the SOY Campaign this year! Overall, I am beyond excited to be a part of such an amazing movement and can't wait to see the impact my team makes this year:) 

A couple of years ago, my own aunt passed away from cancer. I wasn't even aware she was sick until my parents suddenly told me she had passed away--a feeling I'll never shake. What stuck with me the most and still does to this day is how I hadn't seen her in years and barely had any memories with her, and now I never will. Thus, being able to fight for a cure to cancer and fight for those currently battling it is something that truly means a lot to me.

This year, we are fundraising in honor of Vishav Chopra, a current high school student here in Virginia who suffered from Leukemia at the ripe age of four. After three stressful years for him and his family, he was finally able to complete his treatments in 2012 and can now enjoy his life outside of an enclosed hospital room, looking forward to a future as an Automotive Engineer. Although Vishav’s story is truly inspiring and fortunately one with a happy ending, there are millions of children and adults still waiting for their happy ending, and it is ultimately the support and generosity of people like you and like me that will help them reach it. My goal in doing this campaign is not to simply raise money but to raise awareness and support in my community in hopes that people will feel the same passion and empathy that I do and donate to this amazing and crucial cause. If you share the same concern and compassion that I do for those that are battling blood cancer or have battled blood cancer, please join me in my mission to fight for a cure and consider donating to LLS! 

It's the first day of winter break and my "mini" team is hard at work catching up on sponsorships and emails and fundraising pages! The break is the perfect time for us to get together and bond over pizza and productive work:) Take a look at Lydia and Autria's personal fundraising pages to see the updates they did today! And, of course, stay tuned as we near the campaign for lots of fun updates on this page. 

I am beyond thrilled to share with you that I will be running as a candidate in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2020 Students of the Year campaign, representing Oakton High School, as a part of team Pro Remedium—Latin for “fight for a cure.” This campaign is something that I am truly passionate about and honored to be a part of, as it not only allows me to expand my leadership abilities, but it also allows me to fundraise for an amazing cause: curing blood cancer. A couple of years ago, my aunt suddenly lost her battle with breast cancer—something I usually don’t open up about. To this day, I still remember the moment I found out and stopped mid-step, desperately trying to grasp how the last time I saw her she had been perfectly healthy and cancer took her away within a matter of months. Her loss sent waves of shock and grief throughout our entire family, as no one so close to us had ever been affected by something as detrimental as cancer. Thus, being able to fight for a cure to cancer and fight for those currently battling it is something that truly means a lot to me.

This year, we are fundraising in honor of Vishav Chopra, a current high school student here in Virginia who suffered from Leukemia at the ripe age of four. After three stressful years for him and his family, he was, fortunately, able to complete his treatments in 2012 and can now enjoy his life outside of an enclosed hospital room. Although Vishav’s story is truly inspiring and fortunately one with a happy ending, there are millions of children and adults still waiting for their happy ending, and it is ultimately the support and generosity of people like you and like me that will help them reach it. My goal in doing this campaign is not to simply raise money but to raise awareness and support in my community in hopes that people will feel the same passion and empathy that I do and donate to this amazing and crucial cause. Donations open on January 18, 2020, and this year our team’s goal is to raise $50k in seven weeks. It’s a lofty goal, but I am willing to work hard to reach it with your help. If you share the same concern and compassion that I do for those that are battling blood cancer or have battled blood cancer, please join me in my mission to fight for a cure and consider donating to LLS! 

Sincerely, 

Lucy Cai

Another add-on to my previous post: sponsorships! I am beyond thrilled to share that Michael Ferguson with Photo in a Box and Karin's Florist are supporting me on my journey with SOY. Mr. Ferguson has generously offered his photo booth services for the Grand Finale Gala on Saturday, March 7th, and Karin's Florist provided a gift card for our auction package (to be revealed at the Gala!). I am beyond grateful for all of the support from our sponsors, mentors, and team members, and cannot wait to see where this campaign takes us! 

Hello! It's December, it's the holiday season, and most importantly, it's almost the start of the campaign! Team Pro Remedium is working hard through the holiday break in order to ensure our success during the campaign (which starts January 18th). As an update to our team's progress thus far, we've attended two SOY workshops as a team where we met so many amazing people with equally amazing stories, listened to previous team members and parents speak on their journeys with SOY, and, of course, bonded as a team.

Our first team meeting was hosted by Kennedy Kabance--somehow we fit all 11 team members with their parents in one living room! After the first meeting and introducing everyone to each other, we all went home and worked on our contact lists, sponsorships, and individual goals. At the next meeting, we gave individual updates and had already raised $1500! Now, as we head into a new month, our team is working harder than ever to secure more sponsorships and spread holiday cheer. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and come back to see our team progress when the campaign starts! Cheers!