This year, students Tess Robertson and Jina Di lead the Healing Hearts team in the fight against leukemia and lymphoma. In just seven weeks, the team raised over $140,000 and came in third place overall for fundraising in the state. 

“My favorite part of the campaign was to see everyone striving for the same goal to cure and raise awareness of blood cancer.” said Di, “Hearing stories from brave survivors and the amazing campaign from students last year inspired me to take on this challenge and give it my best effort.”

This year, the team was composed of 11 students who sent countless emails and letters over seven weeks to raise awareness and funds for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. During this time, they gained around $100,000 worth of corporate sponsorships from local companies.

“I am proud to say that we made a significant and lasting impact on many lives, successfully raising both funds and awareness of blood cancer,” stated Robertson. “The most rewarding part of leading such an incredible team is knowing that all our months of hard work have paid off and will benefit people in need in many impactful ways.”

On Saturday, Feb. 22 the team attended the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s annual gala in celebration of the end of the fundraising season. There, team Healing Hearts was mentioned for making it into the 100k club, and they got to meet the honored hero James Budd Jr., a young blood cancer survivor. 

“Our biggest accomplishment this year was connecting with local businesses and getting the chance to share our campaign with them,” stated Di. “In all, this was an extremely successful seven weeks and I am so grateful for the opportunities that this organization brought the team.”