This year, student candidates Alyssa Lalos and Lynn Chien take over The Hope Project to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS holds a yearly campaign called Students of the Year which is a seven-week philanthropic mission campaign for students across the nation who form teams and compete with each other to see who can raise the most money for blood cancer research, clinical trials and more. Following the legacy of last year’s candidate, Nicole Garcia, who raised $10,000, Lalos and Chien’s goal is to raise $15,000 this year.

The entirety of LLS’s mission supports a phenomenal cause to fund cutting-edge blood cancer research to advance cures and provide support to those who are affected by blood cancer. LLS has raised over $1.3 billion for blood cancer research. When first hearing about this campaign, Lalos’s fondness for the medical field initially piqued her interest in participating in LLS. As for Chien, she thought it was a great opportunity to make a large change in the world that isn’t always presented to high school students.

“To be faced with the chance to make a change in the world, and a really big one at that, I think is a really amazing thing that everybody should take,” Chien said.

Being on the team for a second year, the duo has fostered many skills such as entrepreneurship and project management. With this experience, both are very familiar when it comes to planning out events, contacting businesses, and holding fundraisers. Some main points Chien emphasized that she especially learned from last year to make this year even more efficient is to be confident and to maintain organization within yourself and your peers. 

Here’s why the Hope Project needs you. Leukemia is the #1 most diagnosed form of childhood cancer. Around 80% of youth cancer survivors develop a chronic health condition from their treatment. Only four oncology drugs have been approved for the first use in children in the last 40 years.

“This campaign has definitely expanded my worldview on things,” Chien said. “The fact that so many children have to be faced with childhood cancer and not have a normal childhood just brings everything into perspective.”

LLS and The Hope Project would deeply appreciate any and all donations to help raise money for blood cancer research. Make sure to follow @thehopeproject22 on Instagram for updates. 

Alyssa Lalos’s Donation Link: https://events.lls.org/snv/lasvegassoy22/alalos

Lynn Chien’s Donation Link: https://events.lls.org/snv/lasvegassoy22/lchien

(Writer’s Donation Link: https://events.lls.org/snv/lasvegassoy22/kesteron)