An Ottawa Hills High School student has earned national recognition for raising $157,760 for cancer research and patient support in just seven weeks.
Piper Downing, an incoming senior, was named National Team Member of the Year by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society after she raised the money for her team, “Bears Beating Cancer.” It was for the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Student Visionaries campaign
. She beat out more than 14,000 participants nationwide for the honor.
“My main tool for fundraising was I’d send individual personalized videos to businesses asking for money,” Downing said. “I connected with the business that my mom works for, Victory Automotive Group, and all their vendors. I asked them to match the victory donation of $15,000 and so it kind of just added up.”
Campaign development manager, Allison Boesel, delivered the surprise news to Downing on her last day of school, telling her she was “our very first” national winner from northwest Ohio.
The recognition comes with special perks, including a feature with Forbes Magazine and a research gathering in New York City, where Downing will meet top cancer researchers.
Boesel said the campaign teaches students important skills that will help them as adults.
“Seeing the growth from start to finish, like the confidence levels that increase, is just so, you know, I’m proud of them,” Boesel said. “It’s just so cool to see them develop and to hear from their parents how they’ve seen the changes in the developments that these students are going through.”
For Downing, the campaign taught her valuable lessons, but the cause remains most important to her.
“We’re all fighting for the same thing. We all want a cure and that’s what we’re trying to get,” Downing said. “We’re together against that and that’s just so amazing,” she said.
Downing will serve on the committee, helping other students with next year’s campaign. She’ll also be focusing on college visits as she starts her senior year at Ottawa Hills in August.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society funds research, provides patient support services and advocates for blood cancer patients and their families. If your student wants to take part in the Student Visionaries Campaign, apply
here
.
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