Last winter, Ellie Plunket and Sanhita Panse worked together and led Team Patriots for the Cure, a team supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).
“The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the largest nonprofit dedicated to creating a world without blood cancer,” explains senior and Chair of the Junior Leadership Committee for LLS, Avery Shultz.
Team Patriots for the Cure was one of 35 Atlanta area teams participating in the Student Visionaries of the Year (SVOY), a 7-week LLS campaign designed for high school students to raise as much money as possible from the beginning of January to the end of February.
Before Plunkett and Panse, students Sarah-Beth Raley and Avery Shultz ran a successful campaign two years ago.
“We had a team of 10 people that raised $210,000 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and was named Runner-Up in the LLS Atlanta Students of the Year campaign,” explains Raley.
After being chosen by Shultz and Raley to be their legacy team, Plunkett and Panse immediately stepped into this role to serve as candidates, choosing 16 team members to help them succeed.
“We are lucky to have the team we chose because everyone has worked tremendously hard throughout this campaign, and we couldn’t have reached our goal without them,” expresses Panse.
For each Team Patriots for the Cure member, participating in this campaign had a deeper meaning than just raising money.
“Heather Parker, who was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was our campaign’s honored hero, and all of our funds were raised in honor of her,” explains Plunkett.
This organization is doing incredible things to help people like Parker fight cancer.
“Contributions to LLS help provide research, life-saving treatments and support to cancer patients and their families,” explains Raley.
Not only did these students fundraise for such a great cause, but they also learned many valuable lessons from their experience.
“It was one of the most significant learning experiences of my life, teaching me a lot about business skills, problem-solving, communication and professionalism in a corporate environment,” explains team member Lila-Belle Mutch.
Panse also reflected positively on her time during this campaign.
“The experiences and memories I take away from this will stay with me for the rest of my life and will undoubtedly serve me well in my professional and personal paths,” says Panse.
Ultimately, each team member and candidate’s hard work paid off. Plunkett and Panse led their team to victory by fundraising the most money out of 35 Atlanta teams.
“We were named the Atlanta Student Visionaries of the Year after raising the most money, $230,265,” explains Plunkett.
When reflecting on her experience, Plunkett is highly grateful for her time as a candidate.
“It is incredible to see that the money we raised is going towards helping cancer patients and their families live every day to the fullest,” says Plunkett.
The dedication and hard work of the entire team for such an important cause will benefit the lives of so many, and the overall experience taught all those involved many helpful life skills.
