Amy Remely, a sophomore at Walnut Grove High School, said her new campaign to raise funds for cancer research is about much more than just winning a contest.
“I had someone who was a like a second mom to me who died of cancer,”Amy said. “It hit me really hard. I want a chance for other people to not go through that.”
But, she admitted, it would also be nice to win.
“I’d like to at least hit $50,000, at which point they attach your name to one of their research projects as a sponsor,” Amy said. “But I’d love to hit $300,000, which is how much last year’s winner raised. We’re aiming high.”
All of this is part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2019 Students of the Year campaign, a leadership development and philanthropy program in which high school students participate in a fundraising competition to benefit LLS and have the opportunity to win college scholarships.
Amy was told of the opportunity by a counselor and immediately thought it sounded like the project for her.
“I knew I had to do this,” she said.
As a candidate, Remely will raise funds for cancer research between Jan. 31 and March 23.
Every dollar raised counts as one vote. The candidates or teams who raise the most money at the end of the seven-week competition will be awarded the title Atlanta’s 2018 Student(s) of the Year at a Grand Finale Gala on Saturday, March 23, at the Georgia Aquarium.
With kickoff less than weeks in the past, Amy has already been working to get donations, sending out letters to friends, family, community leaders and others to ask for funds for her ongoing fundraiser.
“I have already received a few donations,” Amy said.
And she’s in talks with her school administration to try and get a few school-wide fundraising events going, with suggestions such as a Hat Day — in which students could pay a fee to the project for the chance to wear a usually verboten hat on school grounds — and other such events in the running.
“We’re still working to get more things off the ground,” Amy said.
Another project she’s passionate about involves another of her loves, swimming, as she works to try and get the WGHS swimming team, on which she’s a member, involved.
“We want to do a swimathon,” Amy said. “People would pledge to donate money based on how many laps we would swim.”
With 37 teams also competing in the metro Atlanta region, Amy has a lot of competition to tackle, but she’s confident she and her team can handle the pressure.
“Every little bit helps,” Amy said.
People can also visit Amy’s Facebook page for her campaign at Warriors 4 a Cure and look for dates and times for upcoming fundraising events or information on the campaign’s progress.
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