Students raise millions for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Carsyn Austin and Bella Signorelli won the Student Visionaries of the Year competition.
March 10, 2023
According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, every three minutes, a family receives a phone call that their loved one has been diagnosed with blood cancer.
Sophomore Kate Hyman and junior Carysn Austin led a seven-week fundraising campaign for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Student Visionaries of the Year.
Both teams beat their projected sums by thousands.
Hyman’s team “Team Kickin Cancer” finished with $64,000 and Austin’s team, “Raising for Research,” co-led by Memorial High School student Bella Signorelli, finished with over $300,000.
Also participating in the campaign as team members were juniors Audrey Brown, Helena Heath, Annabelle Letzerich, Blakely Bruce, Helena Heath, Georgia Provine, Molly Gottsegen, Ryan Horlock and Marion Fertitta, and sophomores Jordan Roberts, Maddy Billipp Bennett Bowman and freshman Whitney Sturm.
“I’m so proud of our team and all the hard work and dedication that my team members put into the seven-week campaign,” Hyman said.
Both Austin and Hyman were honored at the gala with all the other selected students, but Austin’s team, “Team Raising for Research” was the winner of Student Visionaries of the Year.
“I am really honored to be the winner of Student Visionaries of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of my dad, and I couldn’t have done it without all my team members,” Austin said.
Austin’s team raised $300,000 and combined with the other visionaries the total raised was over $2 million.
“I am so happily surprised,” Billipp said. “Carsyn and Bella worked super hard and raised the most money, which was incredible, and their hard work and determination is exemplary.”
The grand finale gala, where each visionary and team member was honored for their hard work, was on March. 4.
“I really enjoyed it,” Roberts said. “I raised over $10,000 for LLS. It has been a great experience and learning to help others.”
