Hey everyone! 

I am Olivia Gutierrez, I am a senior at St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. I am so happy to be a part of Team Connor's Crew in memory of Connor Kehoe.  Connor is our team leader, Mike's, little cousin who unfortunately lost in his battle against cancer.  From what I have heard Connor was an amazing little boy filled with so much love.  He loved dinosaurs which is why we, as a team, are going to be using dinosaurs as a reoccurring theme throughout our campaign.  

Part of the reason I wanted to be a part of the Student of The Year fundraiser was because in April 2021 I lost a friend of mine to cancer.  Ben was the kindest person I have ever known and probably will ever know.  He taught me what it meant to be a good person by leading with example.  He was my teammate turned friend turned role model. Before he was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, he was one of our star runners on the cross country and track team.  He encouraged us and made it a point to talk to everyone on the team, especially new runners. He was also an extremely generous person, opening up his house for team dinners and giving up his time to help those in need.  I once spoke to someone about Ben Lesser and he said that he didn't like Ben because he was too nice and always said hi to everyone in the halls.  I hope that gives you a good picture of the person Ben was.  Since his passing in April I promised that I am going to be a little more like Ben everyday.  Being a little more like Ben means being a good role model and always acting with love.  If you, too, want to be a little more like Ben today I encourage you to donate to LLS.

Hello friends and family!

I am so excited to share that I have signed up to save lives with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and am working to raise as much as possible over the next 7 weeks. Every dollar raised counts as one vote for my campaign. The candidate(s) whose team tallies the most votes earns the prestigious title of Student or Students of the Year. Will you help me earn that title?

I decided to join this team in honor of my friend Ben Lesser who passed away from cancer last April. As you know, everyone wins when cancer loses. Thanks to your support, my efforts will help fund therapies and treatments that are saving lives. Over the years, support from people like you has been responsible for the blood cancer advancements that have doubled, tripled, and in some cases quadrupled the survival rate for some blood cancers.
 
Many LLS-supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are also now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers and are in clinical trials for patients with lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. And LLS-funded drugs like targeted therapies and immunotherapies are now saving thousands of lives every day.
 
We really are getting close to our goal of a world without blood cancers!
 
All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. They'll not only support LLS research, but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.
 
Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!
 
On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you for your support! For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org