Magnet students never fail to impress, but this particular philanthropy reaches a little further than the typical academic excellence displayed by your fellow Raptors. For the past seven weeks, students across the country participated in an ongoing fundraiser with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), a nonprofit organization with a goal of raising money for kids battling blood cancer. On top of raising funds to treat these children in the hospital, LLS works to raise awareness for the issue of childhood cancer, and find ways to cure these diseases rather than just temporarily treat them. While this organization operates nationwide, the fundraising competitions are split into different regions. Students in the Charleston and surrounding areas participate in the Lowcountry division of this competition, while students elsewhere have their own separate divisions. For young adults participating in the fundraising, this is known as Student Visionaries of the Year (SVOY). Every year, different teams, each led by their own Candidate(s) work to find creative ways to collect money for this great organization. Candidates are team leaders who are in charge of organizing events and communicating with Campaign managers about their efforts. On the other hand, team members are students elected by these Candidates to participate in the fundraising, and help their respective teams reach their monetary goals. Many of the students involved in this year’s Campaign Fundraiser are students here at AMHS.
After working tirelessly for the seven weeks leading up to the fundraiser’s close, these students were finally rewarded with the Grand Finale Gala, which took place last weekend. The gala is an event which marks the celebration of the students’ work and commemorates the time spent raising money. It is also when the runner-ups and winner of this friendly competition is announced for the most money raised across the Lowcountry division. AMHS Juniors Jack Tierney and Mateus Guimaraes placed first runner-up in the Lowcountry division, raising a whopping $100 K in sponsorships and donations. How awesome is that!? These two certainly deserve some credit for their dedication to such an amazing cause, their work will certainly go a long way!
Other noticeable Magnet contributors include Sophie Skaff and Emma Miars. Similarly, these two girls dedicated countless hours to organizing fundraising opportunities, getting in touch with friends and family, and advocating for the cause online. Additional awards announced at Grand Finale include the Mission Pillars, which are Research, Advocacy, and Patient Support. Upon joining the campaign to raise money, teams must choose one of the three mission pillars to guide their fundraising journeys. Sophomores Addy Kattler and Addy were recipients of this year’s Advocacy Mission Pillar Award, celebrating their commitment to raising awareness to the cause and their contribution to the field. Most importantly, the amazing work of these students led to a grand total of over $650 K toward an amazing cause, centered around saving the lives of countless children. All those who participated should be proud of the work they put in, as every contribution brings us a step closer to a world without cancer.
