Today more than a million Americans are fighting a daily battle with blood cancers, and every 3 minutes another person unwillingly joins the fight. I have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the battle and help those living with blood cancers. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has nominated me as a candidate in their 2024 Houston Student Visionaries of the Year fundraising campaign, and I could not be more excited to make a difference in the lives of patients across the country. 

This mission is especially important to me personally because I have never known a life without cancer.  My grandpa, Ong, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was two years old, and he fought cancer every day until I was twelve.  When I was just seven, my mom was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.  Most recently, my aunt successfully completed treatment for breast cancer.  So, my family is my “why.”  Children, like me and my cousins, are my “why.”  

From a very early age, the term cancer never scared me.  I saw Ong bravely fight cancer and achieve remission.  So when it was my mom’s turn, I just knew each day at the hospital would be a good day.  It had to be because the alternative was too horrible to imagine.  The hospital is where the doctors and nurses would make Mommy better…even if it took over 2 years and 7 different treatment regimens for her to reach remission.  During those trying months, we never lost sight of hope.  It’s only more recently that I truly appreciated where that hope came from.  It’s the research, advocacy, and advancements in treatment like that funded by LLS that gave us hope.  

Your support can give families (like mine) hope, too- hope for a cure for blood cancer.  Hope that grandchildren can grow up with grandpas who spoil them with all the hugs and after-school dates at the frozen yogurt shop.  Hope that little girls like me would have a mom around to do her recital makeup and competition hair, to teach her about friendship, and to give her a hug on the best and worst of days.  Hope that children will never have to know a life of losing a parent to cancer.  

It is a privilege to be a candidate for LLS’s Student Visionaries of the Year.  This is so much more than a campaign to me.  It is my way of saying thank you and giving back to research that saved my mom’s life and gave me a decade to make memories with my grandpa. 

I have assembled Team Making Bank to help me raise funds. I am so proud to lead my campaign team and work towards our goal to raise $150,000 over a 7 week period from Thursday, January 11th until Saturday, March 2nd. I cannot do this alone.  Will you please help me make a difference?  

This is how you can help me! Beginning January 11th, click on the “Donate Today” button on this page. Please note: your donations are tax deductible. 

You can also help me raise funds by inviting your friends, family and everyone in your networks to join us by making a donation. Aside from donations, we would love to hear from you or someone you know who would be willing to sponsor the Grand Finale on Saturday, March 2nd or other possible fundraising opportunities.

Large or small, your contribution to this worthy effort will be greatly appreciated.

Help be part of the cure and help my team compete in the Houston Student Visionaries of the Year campaign. For more information, please contact me at emily.k.bolton@icloud.com.  For more information about LLS and Student Visionaries of the Year, please visit www.llsstudentvisionaries.org/. 

With sincere gratitude,

Emily

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the largest donor to blood cancer research in the nation. They have invested over $1.6 billion in research and are leaders in advancing breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics, and personalized medicine. These revolutionary new treatments originally discovered through blood cancer research are now being tested in clinical trials for other cancers. While there has been phenomenal progress, there is still so much more to be done. Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in children and young adults.

My campaign provides an opportunity to support the critical work of LLS in combating these diseases. I am honoring those who have battled blood cancers, like my grandpa and my mom, and raising money that will go directly to LLS in support of its longstanding mission to find a cure and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Along with my team, Team Making Bank, I will work to increase awareness about the impact of blood cancers and the cutting-edge treatments that are currently being researched, as well as inspire others to join the fight to find a cure. I cannot do this alone; I need your help.

While funds cannot be collected until January 11^th, this is how you can help me today!

1. Help me secure a corporate sponsorship (Sponsorships start at $15,000 and sponsors receive Gala benefits).
2. Help me sell advertising spots in the Grand Finale Program book (Program ads start at $1,500 and reach 400+ attendees).
3. Share my message & fundraising link with your contacts via email or social media.
4. Reach out to me for more information!

Beginning January 11, 2024, you can visit my fundraising website https://events.lls.org/txg/svoyhouston24/ebolton and click on the "Donate Today" button.  Or if you prefer to send a check, please make it payable to "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society" and print "SVOY Emily Bolton, Team Making Bank" in the "memo" your portion of your check.  The deadline for receiving contributions in the mail is February 28^th.

Not only is this campaign a great way to support LLS and their life-saving work, but it’s a great leadership opportunity for me. I am so excited to be able to make a difference in my community in this way. 

Thank you for your generosity and support. Your donation truly makes a difference and with your help, we’re one step closer to a cure for blood cancers!

Until there is a cure,

Emily

Hi!  I'm Emily, and I am a sophomore at Episcopal High School.  I am so proud to be selected as a candidate for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Student Visionary of the Year for 2024.  Student Visionaries of the Year is a philantropic leadership development program through which selected high school candidates embark on a journey of professional growth, ensuring they stand out when preparing for college and beyond. Students utilize professional skills such as entrepreneurship, marketing, and project management in order to raise funds for LLS.

The title of Student Visionary of the Year is awarded to the student in each community who raises the most funds during the 7-week competition.  Will you help me save lives?!

Visionaries look to the future—and see infinite possibility.
They challenge the status quo—and make the impossible possible.
They boldly imagine a better world – and lead the charge to create it.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was built on that same vision - of a better world - one without blood cancers.

I am a visionary; I have a vision for a world without cancer, but I need your help.

This year, I’m proud to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, working to raise as much as possible for LLS’s mission.

As a global leader in the fight against blood cancer, LLS:

• Funds cutting-edge research leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine that are improving and saving the lives of patients
• Provides free education and support for blood cancer patients and families, including personalized, one-on-one support, assistance with identifying and enrolling in clinical trials, and more.
• Mobilizes thousands of advocates to drive policy changes that accelerate the development of new cancer treatments and break down barriers to care.

Please consider joining this fight by making a donation. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

Thanks to your support, my efforts will help ensure this generation is the last to see cancer.

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you!

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.