Talented artist, Andrew McMahon, of the piano rock band, Jack's Mannequin, made a statement on the group’s national Light The Night Walk fundraising page (Choose Jack’s Mannequin from this list). He vows that the band will match up to $40,000 in donations to their walk team. Watch his special video to fans and teammates.
Andrew’s passion to fight blood cancers stems from his own battle. In June of 2005, at 22 years old, and a few months from the release of the band’s debut album, Everything in Transit, Andrew was suddenly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. August 23rd of that year marked the date of Andrew’s stem cell transplant from his sister and donor, Katie, as well as the release of the band’s album.
He has since made a full recovery and the band has really taken off. They’ve just released their second album, The Glass Passenger. And, they performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Oct. 3rd. But, even with all of his success, Andrew remains deeply focused on raising awareness and funding to fight cancer.
In July 2006, Andrew founded, The Dear Jack Foundation which named The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as one its primary beneficiaries.
Each year, The Jack’s Mannequin Team raises tens of thousands of dollars through The Light The Night Walk. This year, the team aims to raise $100,000. With the support of loyal fans and this new pledge from the band, the team has nearly reached its goal!
Take a look at this video Andrew made last year for The Light The Night Walk.
The Light The Night Walk Blog : October 2008
Previous Next
Congratulations to a super star team at Burlington Coat Factory. As the Light The Night Walk’s first Million Dollar Partner, Burlington Coat Factory continues to show tremendous support for The Leukemia & Lymphoma’s (LLS) mission to fight blood cancers.
Through this six year partnership history with Light The Night, the company has remained the campaign’s #1 National Partner each year – bringing in more than $3 million to date. They were the first retailer to sell paper balloon on behalf of LLS and received a National Walk Award from LLS in 2002.
In 2007, the company’s inaugural year as a Million Dollar Partner, in-store paper balloon sales at nearly 400 retail locations and Walk Team participation brought in $1,145,000.
This year, after just 9 weeks of the paper balloon sales campaign, Burlington Coat Factory has already exceeded the $1 Million mark. The paper balloon sales campaign will continue through Black Friday, November 29th, 2008.
National Team Captain for Burlington Coat Facory, Christopher Pilla, said,
“Our employees and customers have shown great support with our Light the Night paper balloon icon campaign in our stores as well as joining us at our local community walks. Our Balloon Sales campaign will run appropriately enough right through to the Friday after Thanksgiving. We encourage you to visit your local Burlington Coat Factory store to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Thank you for your continued support!”Click here to find a store near you. Visit before the end of the campaign to purchase your paper balloon and help fund research and programs for blood cancer patients.
At The Light The Night Walk in Savannah, GA this weekend, two fans were pleasantly surprised to meet one of their favorite American Idol stars, Stephanie Edwards. She gave a great performance and posed for photos with fans. Stephanie's inspirational, On Our Way, is the official song of The 2008 Light The Night season. 
* Photos from: Scooting Around Savannah
In 1961, Ernie Davis was at the top of his game. He fought a daily battle against racial inequality and struggled to prove his worth on the football field. Against the odds, Davis became the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy for his stellar performance at Syracuse University. Unfortunately, his war on the green was not the only one this young man would fight. At 23, he landed an NFL spot with the Cleveland Browns. But, he never made it to the field, having lost his battle with leukemia.
A true America hero, Ernie Davis’ life is immortalized in a film opening on October 10, “The Express” starring Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid. Rob Brown, who plays the part of Davis, has been serving as the 2008 Light The Night Walk Spokesman in honor of Davis’ battle. View the trailer here.
“Playing Davis has helped me understand that all blood cancer patients deserve to live better, longer lives,” explained Rob Brown. As Spokesman for The Light The Night Walk, he has helped many people understand just how precious life is and how easily cancer can cut it short. See his message to supporters here.
Whether you walking for your child, your grandmother, or a Heisman Trophy winner, remember that every step you take puts us one step closer to winning our fight against blood cancers. Thank you for walking!
