Columbia High School seniors Lauren Preston ’22 and Mikayla Kendrick ’22 are participating in the Students of the Year Campaign to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Students of the Year is a 7-week campaign amongst candidates from New York and Vermont. Ms. Preston and Ms. Kendrick will be competing with other high school leaders to raise as much money as they can for those who have been affected by cancer.
The campaign launched earlier this month and will conclude on March 10. This is the third year Columbia students are participating in the Students of the Year Campaign.
“We are both beyond excited to be able to continue the Columbia Kicks Cancer Legacy,” said Ms. Preston. “The campaign was first introduced to our high school two years ago by Jessica Borst who is a childhood cancer survivor and the first candidate to represent Columbia. Chase Durivage and Taylor O’Brien then took on the responsibility to follow in her footsteps, assuring that Columbia Kicks Cancer would be represented the next year. Now it is our turn. We are more than ready to do everything we can to help make a difference and represent our community.”
Individuals can support this charitable work in the following ways:
- Make a tax-deductible donation by visiting https://events.lls.org/uny/
unysoy22/lpreston (Laurens Webpage) or https://events.lls.org/uny/ unysoy22/mkendrick (Mikayla’s Webpage) - Share their fundraising links and event information (via social media, messaging, email, etc.)
- Donate a silent auction item for the grand finale
- Help secure a corporate sponsorship (all sponsorships start at $2,500 & sponsors receive Grand Finale benefits)
- Find companies to match or donate raffle items (all raffle donations must be a minimum of $100)
- Support these upcoming fundraising events:
- Dine to Donate at Five Guys in East Greenbush – February 8, 4-9 p.m.
- Dine to Donate at 16 Handles in East Greenbush – February 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
- Purchase Hoffman’s Car Wash Tickets
- Red Out/Dress Down Day for Columbia Staff – February 4
- Columbia Kicks Cancer Bracelets – February 4, $3 for one and two for $5
About the Students of the Year Fundraising Campaign
The Students of the Year campaign is a philanthropic leadership development program through which highly motivated, high-school leaders embark on a journey of professional growth, ensuring that they stand out when preparing for college and beyond. During the program, students foster professional skills such as entrepreneurship, marketing, and project management in order to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Student leaders fundraise for LLS in honor of children who are blood cancer survivors. The title Student(s) of the Year is awarded to the candidate or co-candidate team in each community that raises the most funds during the 7-week competition.