26 MAY 2023 By Rachael Bouley For seven weeks, Xavier students Ava Calihan, Sadie Sebald, and Abby Gliss, and Arcadia students Lily Ord, Olivia Hizme and Annie Spiekerman worked tirelessly in their campaign to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Arizona. Their hard work paid off, as the groups combined efforts raised over $300,000 for the organization. Society chapters nationwide encourage participation in Student Visionaries of the Year, a philanthropic leadership development opportunity where teams compete to raise the most money and awareness over seven weeks. Funds benefit the nonprofit’s cutting-edge research in the fight to cure blood cancer. Ava, Sadie, and Abby were named Student Visionaries of the Year by the society’s Phoenix chapter for raising the most funds throughout their community. Lily, Olivia and Annie were runners-up after the campaign finished in March. The Xavier team created their Coast 2 Coast Cures campaign to honor everyone with a family member or friend affected by cancer. It was a huge success, with the Gators raising $180,000 overall. “We had a group of about ten other Xavier students working under us to help raise as much money as we could,” Ava said. “We were shocked with how many people were willing to help us, whether it was friends and family, business leaders, or those we met through the organization.” Ava and her teammates learned a lot as they reached out to local businesses and personal connections to try and raise funds. “We met with over ten leaders of different companies to discuss sponsorship opportunities. After leaving meetings, we would talk about how cool it was to share a campaign that we were incredibly passionate about and hear how the leaders in our community worked to achieve their successes,” Ava explained. “Communicating with influential adults in our community could be intimidating, but we became more confident after each meeting.” Coast 2 Coast Cures said they are grateful for all sponsors and donors who helped them progress toward creating a world free of blood cancers. Money raised goes toward research, treatment, and care in hopes of curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma while improving the quality of life for patients and their loved ones. “So many people were willing to donate and help us make a change,” Ava said. “In the future, I hope to continue to do charity work that can make a difference in the lives of many.” Lily, Olivia and Annie came in a close second, raising $129,515 for RKDA Cancer Crushers and winning the LLS Mission Award for Patient Support by going above and beyond to reach out directly to patients fighting cancer. The girls led a team of 26 students, who made handwritten cards for those battling cancer at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. “We loved working together as a team to create heartfelt and beautifully worded messages, which we hope will provide inspiration to patients as they endure difficult treatments and circumstances,” Lily said. “We also decided to take our honored hero, 10-year-old Bryce, and her family shopping for clothes to wear at the Grand Finale. Bryce was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 10 and is currently in remission.” RKDA Cancer Crushers said they were motivated by the strength of a classmate and teammate who successfully battled leukemia. Every participant had a personal connection to the cause. Annie was inspired by a family friend diagnosed as a freshman in high school. Olivia recognized the challenges her grandma and other relatives faced with a cancer diagnosis. For Lily, it was her grandfather Art Gilbert, who died of leukemia before she could meet him. “By participating in the campaign, I felt I was honoring his legacy and especially connecting with him,” Lily said. “Another important connection to me was my grandma, who survived two cancer battles because of state-of-the-art treatments and research funded by LLS.” Both groups said they are proud of what they accomplished and they look forward to more fundraising and awareness initiatives in the future. llsstudentvisionaries.org Students raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Ava Calihan, Abby Gliss, and Sadie Sebald. Annie Spiekerman, Lily Ord and Olivia Hizme. HIGHPLACEMORTGAGE.COM | 800.996.0662 2930 E CAMELBACK ROAD, SUITE 175 | PHOENIX, AZ 85016 ▶ Conventional Loans ▶ First-time Home Buyers ▶ Construction Loans ▶ Portfolio Products ▶ Private Money ▶ Bank Statement Loans ▶ Bridge Loans ▶ Refinances / Purchases ▶ HELOCS / Lines of Credit ▶ FHA Loans ▶ VA Loan Programs ▶ Reverse Mortgages WE MAKE LOANS HAPPEN. From first-time homebuyers to seasoned real estate investors, we’ve got the tools to help with your financing goals. M O R T G AG E WONDERING HOW TO NAVIGATE YOUR MORTGAGE NEEDS WHEN INTEREST RATES ARE HIGH? LET US HELP YOU BUILD THE RIGHT FINANCING STRATEGY.