“I am incredibly grateful for your support,” says Briana McNeal.
Westerville Central High School senior Briana McNeal is driven well beyond her years to help the 1.3 million Americans who are living with a blood cancer. In McNeal’s case, the answer to the age-old question, “What can one person do?” is simple. A lot.
Three years ago, after McNeal lost her grandmother and role model to cancer, she became motivated to help raise money to fight this terrible disease. Last year, while fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), she met a little boy from New Albany named Behren, an Honored Hero. He is three years old and he is battling T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He fueled her passion and that drive was noticed.
McNeal was nominated to run as a candidate in the 2019 Student of the Year campaign, a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She is leading Team Warhawk Life Savers. The candidate whose team raises the most money at the end of seven weeks will be named Student of the Year.
During this campaign, which runs from January 17 to March 8, McNeal’s goal for her team is to raise as much money as they can, which will go directly to LLS in support of their longstanding mission to cure blood cancers and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. McNeal is hoping to get businesses and individuals on board by selling t-shirts and is also hosting a fundraising night at the Melt Bar & Grilled (in the Short North and Easton locations) on February 14, Valentine’s Day. A flier promoting that event can be found at https://www.wcsoh.org/userfiles/2061/my%20files/melt%20flyer.pdf?id=569063.
Companies and businesses can help by:
- Sponsoring the March 8 Student of the Year (SOY) program and event;
- Purchasing half and full-page advertisements in the SOY Gala program booklet at the Bluestone;
- Donating auction items; and
- Donating money.
To learn more or give, please visit https://events.lls.org/coh/centralohioSOY2019/bmcneal. McNeal can answer questions addressed to mcneal.briana.n@gmail.com.
Every three minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with blood cancer. And more than one third of blood cancer patients do not survive five years after diagnosis. The good news? LLS is finding cures. LLS has invested $1.2 billion into cutting-edge research, funding nearly all of today’s most promising advances. These revolutionary new treatments, originally discovered through blood cancer research, are now being tested in clinical trials for other cancers. LLS-funded research helps save lives.
“As a senior in high school this year, I want to do as much as I can for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,” said McNeal. “I plan to take this ambition with me through my college years and the rest of my life. I am incredibly grateful for your support.”