Honor Society fundraises for LLS

WEBUTUCK — The Webutuck Board of Education (BOE) commended the district’s National Honor Society’s service project on raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) at its meeting on Monday, March 2, before the school was closed due to the coronavirus.

Lily O’Carroll, a member of the Honor Society, explained that LLS is a philanthropic leadership development program for high schools students. Set on curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, she said LLS improves the quality of life for patients and their families.

Lily said LLS also strives to “make a positive impact on those affected by blood cancers as well as support them so that they know they are not in this fight alone.”

A person is diagnosed with a blood cancer every three minutes; more than 33% of blood cancer patients don’t survive five years after their diagnosis; and more than 1.2 million people are currently living with or in remission from leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease or myeloma. In total, an average of 3,679 children and young adults are diagnosed with leukemia each year.

LLS promotes a seven-week challenge to raise money in honor of young local blood cancer survivors and honored heroes. Lily explained that the Honor Society set a goal of raising $10,000 with the help of teammates spread throughout New York state.

Lily said they will hold fundraisers and reach out to different community businesses to be sponsors or to make donations. She added students involved with the Honor Society will be acquire marketing, networking and entrepreneurship skills in addition to project management and financial literacy. Of course, students won’t be able to pursue any activities in person while schools are closed.

“It just goes to show how our students’ commitment to making this world a better place goes beyond the classroom doors, and again, as a community, we should know that our future is in good hands with students like that,” Webutuck Superintendent of Schools Raymond Castellani of the students’ efforts.