Commitment to Curing Cancer:

Six High School Students Raise $121,783 in Seven Weeks

For The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Tip Hogerty of Team Blood Brother Named 2019 Fox Valley Student of the Year

Appleton, Wisconsin –The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) first annual “Students of the Year” campaign exceeded all expectations as five candidate teams, comprised of six Fox Valley-area high school students, raised $121,783 to help find cancer cures.

Team Blood Brother, led by Tip Hogerty of Neenah’s St. Mary Catholic High School, raised more than $50,000. As the top fundraiser, Hogerty was named the first Fox Valley Student of the Year.

Hogerty undertook the campaign in honor of fellow St. Mary Catholic classmates who have been diagnosed with pediatric cancer and St. Mary Catholic students who have lost parents and siblings to cancer. “Since I was in elementary school, I have watched cancer take a terrible toll on my friends and their families. This campaign allowed me to honor them by raising dollars for this great organization and, most importantly, awareness of blood cancers,” reflected Hogerty.

As Student of the Year, Hogerty earned a $2,500 Scholarship and will have his name linked to a research grant through the LLS. McKenna Jones of Appleton North High School was awarded the Citizenship Award and a $500 Scholarship. Other candidates included Appleton North’s Ava Oppermann and Georgia Crane, Fox Valley Lutheran High School’s Erin Henze, and Neenah High School’s Maci Trzcinksi.

“What the candidates were able to achieve in seven weeks in a first-time campaign is truly amazing and will have a tremendous impact on the lives of blood cancer patients and their families,” said Jessica Pfister, Campaign Specialist for LLS’s Fox Valley Chapter.  

Recruitment for the 2020 “Students of the Year” campaign has already begun. “If you are a high school student or know a student who wants to make a difference in the future of blood cancers, we want to connect,” Pfister explained. Pfister may be contacted at 920-585-6910 or jessica.pfister@lls.org or visit https://studentsoftheyear.org/.

LLS is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. Founded in 1949, LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.