This year, C.K.M. juniors created groups to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student of the Year program. The three teams, the Supercure-os, Team Cureismatic Kids, and Team Secure the Cure consisted of C.K.M. juniors as well as juniors from other high schools in the area.
“LLS Student of the Year is a leadership program in which groups of students around the nation are given seven weeks to raise as much money for LLS as possible. The funds raised by the youth go directly toward funding cancer research or providing financial aid to families affected by cancer,” said Nicole Fong (‘19), a leader of the Supercure-os team.
Each group attempts to set itself apart from other groups by raising the most money or doing the most community outreach. Some teams used their creative team names to capture attention. “We decided to give our team a superhero theme. With handmade capes and a custom logo, we hoped to capture the strength and bravery of those who fought and are currently battling cancer,” said Jadelyn Wong (‘19).
In order to raise funds, teams held events to attract contribution from members of the community. Team Cureismatic Kids, led by Lauren Morris, Olivia Vinding, and Katie Wolf, held a large dinner party, sold tickets to a Sacramento Republic FC game, and a barbecue. The Supercure-os, led by Jadelyn Wong, Sam Wong, and Nicole Fong, held a classical music benefit concert and a youth debate camp, and Team Secure the Cure, led by Katharine Jacobs and Sage Dickinson held a fashion show and auction.
This seven-week fundraiser culminated in a gala event in which teams were awarded recognition for their hard work. “Our team won the Bobby Dean Mission Integration Award, which is given to the team who succeeded in giving the most community involvement and hard work. We knew that raising money was important, but our team made it one of our goals to involve the community as best we could,” said Fong.
In addition to their concert and debate camp, the group emailed monthly newsletters to their supporters in order to “update everyone on what [the team was] doing and ensure everyone was involved in [their] campaign.” These newsletters also each included a Spotlight Survivor excerpt. “Each month, we had one of our team members interview a friend or relative who has been affected by cancer. Through this, we wanted to put real faces behind our campaign and reveal that donations and LLS’s hard work truly benefit those in need,” said Jadelyn Wong,
Students intimately familiar with the struggle of cancer found inspiration to join LLS groups in support of their loved ones.
“The motivation behind our campaign was based on the impact cancer has had in our lives. I worked on this campaign in honor of my grandfather and my dad who both recently overcame their fights with the deadly disease,” said leader Olivia Vinding.
Jadelyn Wong also shared her family’s experience with cancer and said, “It distresses me to know that someone’s life could just end in a matter of months because of these illnesses. I wanted an opportunity to help those who are suffering every day.”
Additionally, juniors at C.K.M. are involved in the fundraiser nearly every year, making it somewhat of a tradition for C.K.M. students. “Seeing all the prior McClatchy kids participate in this campaign really motivated me to get involved,” said Fong.
Participating in the program also provided students a chance to get involved in the community, gain leadership experience, build up their college resumés.
“By participating in a program like this you learn important leadership skills you can take with you for the rest of your life,” said Vinding. Wolf added, “Participants gain a great advantage for college applications; admissions offices are always very impressed with LLS participation. They also gain valuable career skills like time management, communications, and workability with peers.”
Many students involved were truly touched by the experiences they had. “Our team had the opportunity to have a booth at the Crocker Riverside Fall Festival where we actually met a parent whose child was battling Leukemia. This campaign really allowed us to see the effects of cancer and gave us an opportunity to make a difference,” said Fong.
Sage Dickinson of Team Secure the Cure said, “I had the opportunity to meet and talk to Taylor, the Student of the Year 2019 Honored Hero. She was extremely young when she had to battle with Leukemia. Hearing her story and now seeing how well she is doing today, with the help of LLS, truly showed me first hand the amazing affects LLS has.”
Wong added, “I think that through a philanthropic program like LLS, C.K.M. students are able to encounter the ‘real’ world. At the end of the campaign, I was definitely left with a rewarding feeling in my heart for being able to help out the community, especially those in need of funding from LLS.”
Wolf agreed that contributing to this cause was very gratifying. “I could make a difference for the local families affected by blood cancer,” she said. “At the end of the long and challenging days of the campaign, that really made me feel good.”
Sage Dickinson of Team Secure the Cure said, “Going through this campaign and learning about people’s stories and everything LLS does is very touching. A few times throughout the campaign I’d just sit and think about the greater effect that all of our work has, and it is amazing. Being a part of something like this very humbling and really makes you grateful for what you have. The SOY campaign and LLS have certainly left a lasting impact in my life and has opened my eyes to philanthropy as something I’d love to do more of throughout my life.”