Thank you for your support of my Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign! Please visit SVOY Richmond 24 | Powered By GiveSmart to make your donation to my campaign. All you need to do is click on the link, and scroll down until you see Team Raising for Research! 

I had the privilege of being nominated as a candidate for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2024 Virginia Student Visionaries of the Year campaign. Student Visionaries of the Year is a seven-week leadership development program for high school students that runs from February 20th to April 12th to raise money to help blood cancer patients not only survive but thrive after treatment.  I am writing today to ask for your support of my campaign and LLS’s mission to find a cure for blood cancers and improve the quality of life for patients.  

I have created a team of committed friends and family to partner with me on this journey. Together, we have set a fundraising goal of $25,000!  LLS funds the most promising blood cancer research across the globe and forges collaborations to accelerate new discoveries, treatments, and cures. With a more than 70-year track record, LLS has supported virtually every advancement in blood cancer treatment – including approaches once thought impossible. LLS has invested more than $1.5 billion in cancer research since 1949, leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics, and personalized medicine that are improving and saving patients’ lives.​ 

I am raising money to support research for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of blood cancers. I’ve experienced a loss in my family due to cancer and I want to prevent others from suffering those losses. My campaign will provide support to the critical work of LLS in hopes that one day no one will have to grow up without the ones they love. I know that with your help, I can reach my goal and make a direct impact in the fight against blood cancers.  

All donations received will support LLS’s overall mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. I thank you in advance for partnering with a cause so close to my heart by making a gift that is meaningful to you. 

Sincerely,  
Gavin O’Connell  

To make your donation go further—check if your company matches charitable gifts. www.lls.org/matchinggifts