LEONARDTOWN, Md. – Fly4aCure is a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Student Visionaries of the Year (SVOY) Campaign Team of 22 high school students from five different high schools in the area.
This year, the team raised an astounding $88,000 for blood cancer research!
“We used a combination of community events, personal asks, and corporate sponsorships,” Emilie Garrabrant, a rising junior at St. Mary’s Ryken and the team leader, told The BayNet. “We were lucky to have 170+ attendees at our Reggie Rice Magic Show fundraiser at St. Mary’s Ryken in February, which raised over $2,000 in just two hours. Corporate sponsorships culminated in over $40,000 from over 15 companies, ranging from local businesses such as Dylan Schneider Orthodontics to larger corporations such as Health Prime International.”
Believe it or not, all of the money was raised in just seven weeks! Planning for the team started back in August of 2022.
“We were so grateful and excited to learn that we placed second in the state,” stated Garrabrant. “Surpassing our goal of $50k and getting to $88k was incredibly important for our goal to bring awareness to blood cancer as well as create change for blood cancer patients. Many of our team members have immediate family members affected by blood cancer, which made this cause even more significant to us.”
But the team wasn’t able to do it on their own, it took a huge collective effort of community members and businesses alike.
“Team Fly4ACure 2023 would like to thank our community supporters, including Dr. Arpana Shah of Shah Dermatology, as well as our leading corporate sponsors Health Prime International, MedStar Shah, and the Ila & Vinod Shah Foundation,” said Garrabrant. “I would like to thank my parents Robert and Jeslyn Garrabrant, who have provided never-ending support in helping me to run our event. My parents have been the biggest supporting factor in my success because of their generosity and passion for the cause.”
Garrabrant also stated that the Fly4aCure 2024 team will be announced soon. To keep up with the team and to also help them reach their goals, check them out on social media!
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