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Photos courtesy of Cade Kuykendall and Zoe LaBreche.
Senior Zoe LaBreche, pictured, and Junior Cade Kuykendall are two of the 10 students from around the Birmingham area that were selected to participate in the 2020 Students of the Year Program, which began locally last year.
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Photos courtesy of Cade Kuykendall and Zoe LaBreche.
Cade Kuykendall
Senior Zoe LaBreche and Junior Cade Kuykendall, pictured, are two of the 10 students from around the Birmingham area that were selected to participate in the 2020 Students of the Year Program, which began locally last year.
Two Chelsea High School students are participating in a seven-week awareness and fundraising campaign for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Alabama/Gulf Coast Chapter.
Junior Cade Kuykendall and senior Zoe LaBreche are two of the 10 students from around the Birmingham area that were selected to participate in the 2020 Students of the Year Program, which began locally last year.
In order to take part in the program, the students must go through a nomination and interview process. Kuykendall said he is honored to have been nominated as a candidate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Student of the Year Campaign.
“I’m excited that over the seven weeks I will be raising as many dollars as possible to support cancer research and patient support,” he said.
The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student of the Year. The mission is to not only raise the most money, but also to bring attention to blood cancers like leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children and teens.
Tricia Center is the campaign manager for the Birmingham Students of the Year and said students must raise a minimum of $10,000 to be recognized as a candidate. They make sponsorship presentations to local organizations and companies and present to CEOs.
“It’s a great experience for them,” Center said. “They formulate their own business plan, reach out to their network and learn how to utilize their strengths and skills to help them raise money.”
All of the money raised goes to the local chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help patients and fund research. In 2018, $1.2 million was raised for co-pay and travel assistance for local patients and also provided $1.6 million for research grants to UAB.
Infinity Med-I-Spa in Greystone is running a Botox event Feb. 24 through March 6, donating a portion of their sales to the fundraising effort. Also, Zaxby’s in Lee Branch will have a support day on March 4 5-8 p.m. with a portion of proceeds going to LLS.
The grand finale for the event culminates with an event at Regions Field on March 14, which also happens to fall on the night of Chelsea’s prom, which Kuykendall and LaBreche will skip so they can attend the LLS event.
Center said the LLS has a similar program for adults, but believes high schoolers are an overlooked group that can do great things.
“Nobody else has really tapped into the opportunity to give high school students an opportunity to learn about philanthropy and gain real world experience,” Center said. “It’s a game-changer on college resumes and this is something different nobody else has going.”
For more information, visit lls.org/alabamagulf-coast.
