College Park senior Akshara Ramasamy has joined the campaign team- Lymphomaniacs led by Woodlands High School senior Hailey Rodee to raise $75,000 starting Jan. 8 for seven weeks on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). 

“Before I started fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I did not realize how prevalent leukemia and lymphoma is,” Ramasamy said. “On my campaign page, several people in the comments mentioned how they lost their family to leukemia or lymphoma. Now, I am so thankful to have this opportunity because I can honor those who have lost their battle to cancer by fundraising for a cure.”

LLS is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer in the world. Their focus is on finding cures to cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

“Joining the LLS mission has brought purpose into these uncertain times,” Rodee said. “I’ve been grateful to fundraise for a credible and deserving organization.”

The team is made up of eight members, all pledging to raise $5,000 in pursuit of their final goal. The students span ages and schools, but all come together for the common purpose of finding a cure. The team also has an honored hero for the campaign, Jackson Caserma- a young survivor. 

“I joined the campaign to honor our family friend, Jeff Andrews who passed after a three year battle,” Rodee said. “After learning about patients in treatment now- battling cancer in a covid filled world- I felt the demand was there.”

Team members have been brainstorming ways to get the word out and ways to encourage people to donate. This is being achieved through sponsorships, personal ask donations, fundraiser events, and auction items.

“My personal goal is to raise $5,000 by March 5th and our team goal is $75,000,” Ramasamy said. “By sending messages to family and friends and emailing community leaders, I was able to raise a total of $2,056.15 in the span of two weeks.” 

On top of donating to the campaign, students can help by following @team_lymphomaniac on instagram. This is where information about our upcoming events such as the virtual benefit concert and the Win-A-Tesla-For-A-Day raffle. Also sharing the account with others or sending a short message to their family and friends. 

“I wanted to emphasize how any amount helps,” Ramasamy said. “No donation is too small. I had one person donate $1.15 and it rounded up my total to above $1,000, so do not underestimate the power of your donation.”