@LLS

The World's a Brighter Place Thanks to our Light The Night Walk Sponsors

todd.whitley@lls.org — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:38:30 GMT

We're fortunate that most of our National Supporting Sponsors not only share our mission, but also actively participate in our Light The Night Walks through employee teams in Light The Night Walk events throughout the country. Included among our distinguished sponsors are:

Bristol-Myers Squibb
A National Sponsor for 4 years, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), founded in 1858, has had a long history of supporting cancer patient programs. For more about BMS and their commitment to CML, visit: www.mycmlcare.com

Cephalon
Among the top ten biopharmaceutical companies in the world, Cephalon is keenly interested in improving the heath and enhancing the quality of patients lives. For more about Cephalon, visit www.cephalon.com.

Genentech l Biogen idec
Returning National Supporting Sponsors, Genentech l Biogen idec, also share a mission with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Visit www.gene.com and www.biogenidec.comhttp://www.biogenidec.com/ for more information about these sponsors.

Michael C. Fina
"Celebrating each and every family's many milestones, starting with the day your loved one is cancer free" is the distinguished hope of fine jewelry and home decor designer, Michael C. Fina. Visit www.michaelcfina.com for more on this Light The Night Walk sponsor.

Millenium : The Takeda Oncology Company
Aspiring to be part of "the step-by-step process to cure cancer" Millenium has provided extensive support for patient education programs for blood cancer patients. Visit www.mlmn.com for more about Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company sponsor of The Light The Night Walk.

Quest Diagnostics
One of the nation's largest medical testing and diagnostics companies, Quest Diagnostics has selected LLS as its national charity through 2010, in addition to serving as a National Supporting Sponsor of The Light The Night Walk. For more on our friends at Quest Diagnostics, visit www.questdiagnostics.com

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society applauds our Light The Night Walk Sponsors, recognizing the impact they have had on our ability to help blood cancer patients live longer, better lives in communities across the country and in Canada.

Thanks to you, we're that much closer to cures!

Light The Night with the new song from Satellites & Sirens

todd.whitley@lls.org — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:40:49 GMT

They not only have a Light The Night Team, they have a Light The Night song! Satellites & Sirens, the alternative Christian rock band, has just released their latest song, "Light The Night" to help support the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

You can hear a clip of the song on their web site. Click here to download the full song and donate $1 to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

AddLight The Night to your playlist, then share their web address with your friends.

Each $1 download of 'Light the Night' will go to benefit the efforts of LLS to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and to provide education and services for patients with these diseases and their families.

Pittsburgh Steelers Light The Night For Elijah

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:00:29 GMT

Steelers Defensive End, #91, Aaron Smith, was joined by the entire defensive line, more than a dozen players and their families, to make up Team Elijah in this year's Light The Night Walk. The team was formed in honor of Smith's six-year-old son, Elijah, who was diagnosed with leukemia last year.

“It was an amazing night,” said Tina Massari, Executive Director of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Western Pennsylvania & West Virginia chapter, who said the walk raised $600,000, with Team Elijah as one of the top fundraising teams. “Whenever you have someone like Aaron Smith saying this can happen to anyone and our family is involved and we want to be a part of it and join us it’s always a huge call to action. People think he is a Steeler, he is involved and it can happen to him it can happen to anyone and we want to help out.”

Read the entire story on Steelers.com, the Official Web Site of The Pittsburgh Steelers. And view the photo gallery in the "Off The Field" section.

A Special Light The Night Walk Proposal

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:48:25 GMT

One of the things that we love about our events is how they enable people to meet others working towards the same goals –trying to help end blood cancers, and having fun while doing it. Every once in a while we hear about a story of how one of our programs has been instrumental in helping people develop an important personal relationship, and I think that following deserves some retelling

Michelle Fried has a long history with our National Capital Area chapter (NCA). As a volunteer, participant and Board of Trustees president, Michelle has been a dedicated supporter of LLS for many years.

Because of her passion and well-rounded experience with LLS, Michelle was chosen as an ambassador-of-sorts to help encourage participation in LLS events. Last year, this role brought her face-to-face with Jim Galvanek, a 10-year leukemia survivor. Not only did this meeting lead to Jim being named NCA’s 2008 Man of the Year, but eventually, to an unexpected romance.

The two amazing volunteers quickly became good friends. Their friendship turned into a lasting connection.

This summer, The Light The Night Walk Kick-off was held at National Stadium, home of the Washington Nationals, just before the start of a game. Along with about 500 other people, Jim and Michelle were there showing their support for LLS. Jim led Michelle to the stadium rooftop, as the game began so the couple could get a bird’s eye view of the field. It was up there that they shared a private moment together and Jim asked her to marry him.

After sharing the news with friends and volunteers alike, the two enjoyed a few innings. Soon after, the Jumbotron lit up naming Jim and Michelle "Fans of the Game.”

The NCA Deputy Executive Director, one of the lucky people to see these two lovebirds' relationship evolve, said that it has been really sweet to watch two good friends and amazing volunteers make a lasting connection and remember how LLS has been instrumental in their relationship.

Michelle and Jim have not only found each other, but they have also given much of their personal time to LLS – something for which we at LLS are grateful for every day.

Tina Fey Helps "Light" The Way

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:07:04 GMT

World-renowned actress and writer, Tina Fey, is lending her voice as the 2009 Light The Night Walk National Spokesperson. Her message is direct and to the point. "Cancer. It's a dark word. When it's directed at you or a loved one, it can turn your world upside-down..."

Watch this video of Tina's national television PSA for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Truer words have never been spoken. Luckily there's a way to shed some light. It's time to walk the talk. Join Tina Fey and thousands of others for The Light The Night Walk. Registration has begun. You can be a part of the fight against blood cancers by signing up for a walk near you today.

Tina is also featured on GoodSearch's Who's Doing Good? You can use GoodSearch as a simple way to help support LLS. Visit GoodSearch.com and select LLS as your charity of choice. Then, search away! Every time you search, you're helping to raise funds for LLS.

Find a Light The Night Walk near you, and regsiter today!

Raise Funds for Cancer Research and Get FREE Gas!

todd.whitley@lls.org — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:13:58 GMT

August 4th, 2009: There are 4 weeks left for you to save gas by registering for a Light The Night Walk near you! Register today!

Back by popular demand! Earn free gas when you raise funds online through Light The Night Walk during the months of July and August.

Here’s what you do: Register for your walk, if you haven’t already done so. Then, in July and August raise$250 or more online, andyou'll receive a free gas card for $15. Raise $500 and you’ll be sent a $50 card.

Funds raised through Light The Night Walk support LLS's mission to cure leukemia, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. So do something good, and get something good!

Jack’s Mannequin Pledges to Match Donations

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:48:50 GMT

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.

A Partnership worth More than a Million Bucks

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:32:37 GMT

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.

Fans Meet American Idol Contestant at Light The Night

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:06:50 GMT

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

Movie, “The Express” Honors a Life Taken by Leukemia

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:58:02 GMT

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!

Make Your Mark in the Fight Against Childhood Cancers

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:33:59 GMT

If you’re attending a local Light The Night Walk this year, you’re in luck! For the first time, at each of the 240 walks across the country, the Hyundai Hope on Wheels white Santa Fe, covered from top to bottom in colorful handprints, will be pulling up to make a pit stop.

At 30 Light The Night Walk locations, a special handprint ceremony will be conducted where children can make their mark on the vehicle in honor of a child battling cancer. (See below for a list of these locations.)

In the United States, about 10,730 children under the age of 15 are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year. Lymphoma is the third most common cancer in children, following leukemia, and neoplasms of the brain and other nervous tissue. The goal of the tour is to raise awareness about all pediatric cancers and celebrate and honor each of these strong boys and girls in their fights.

As both Hope on Wheels and Light The Night celebrate their 10th anniversaries, a new commitment has been added to the program. To commemorate a decade of support, Hyundai will make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s network of doctors engaged in pediatric cancer research.

Light The Night Walk’s Featuring the Handprint Ceremony:

Syracuse : 9/17/2008

Anaheim: 9/20/2008

Denver: 9/25/2008

Rochester: 9/26/2008

Sacramento: 9/27/2008

Providence: 9/27/2008

Tacoma: 9/27/2008

Nashua: 9/27/2008

Orlando: 9/27/2008

Charlotte: 9/27/2008

Boise: 10/2/2008

Pittsburgh: 10/2/2008

Kapolei: 10/4/2008

St. Paul : 10/4/2008

Atlanta: 10/11/2008

El Paso : 10/11/2008

Fort Worth: 10/12/2008

Columbus: 10/18/2008

Fresno: 10/18/2008

Tampa: 10/18/2008

Washington: 10/18/2008

San Antonio: 10/25/2008

Fort Lauderdale: 10/25/2008

Houston: 10/26/2008

Glendale: 11/1/2008

Metairie: 11/15/2008

Past events:

Lisle : 9/6/2008

Lancaster : 9/10/2008

Overland Park : 9/12/2008

St. Louis : 9/12/2008

Lighting the Way to The Olympics

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:27:09 GMT

<img src="http://community.lls.org/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1202-1056/hughbaker.jpg" align="left" height="200" width="250" />The following post was written by Hugh Baker, a Canadian Bobsleigh hopeful for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. After losing a close friend to a blood cancer, Mr. Baker set his dreams in motion and began training for the Olympics. As he raises the necessary funds to compete, he is simultaneously donating 50% of the money received to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk. You can follow Mr. Baker’s journey to the Olympics on his web site: http://www.hughbaker.net.

Everyone has a dream. It could be anything from climbing Mt. Everest to being the best parent you possibly can. My name is Hugh Baker, and I am currently working towards making my dream come true. My dream is to represent my country on the biggest stage and inspire others along the way. In 2005, a truly good person in my life lost his fight with a blood cancer. The thing that always stood out about my friend was his ability to always be positive. I rarely remember him without a smile. Last year, I was part of a team who did the Light the Night walk in his honor. In May of 2006, I took the first real steps to making my dream a reality and attended an identification camp held by Alberta Bobsleigh. By November, I was representing Canada at the Europa cup for the sports of Bobsleigh and Skeleton. This experience made me realize that this truly was what I wanted. I wanted to go to the Olympics.

In 2007, I needed to take the next step in order to make my dreams come true. I held a number of fundraisers to raise the money required to travel and compete in Europe. It was during this time, that I had a paradigm shift. I realized the reason I was doing this was not to only to make my dreams come true, but also to inspire anyone I came in contact with. I now had a greater duty than thinking of personal glory. And I had an idea of how I could live up to this higher calling.

Remembering my friend, I have decided to take my goal of inspiring others to the next level. I will continue to have fundraisers to help supplement my training costs, but I will also be donating half of all money raised to a worthy charity – The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk.

It is my belief that with all of our help, we can wipe these blood cancers off the face of the earth. And in that, we will be making a lot of dreams come true.

*The photos in this post originally appeared on http://www.hughbaker.net.

Magna Cum Philanthropist

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:05:53 GMT

College is typically a time of studying, partying, self-exploration and planning your future. But, it's not often that your actions during these four years really make a significant impact on the lives of others.

At California State University Fresno (a.k.a. Fresno State), students enrolled in Marketing courses at the Craig School of Business are learning more than just how to become business-savvy execs. They're learning how to fold charity, fundraising and volunteerism into their every day lives.

For the past three years, in partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, students have had the option of organizing and leading a Friends & Family Team and participating in The Light The Night Walk- for course credit!

As part of individual coursework, students are required to complete a service-learning project. In short, the project is meant to teach students to lead a philanthropic or entrepreneurial initiative.

After completing his "Light The Night Project," former Marketing student, Ryan Summers, put it best: "It felt really good to do something for someone else. Sometimes you get wrapped up in your life and think you have so much to worry about; events like this put everything into perspective."

By accepting the challenge, the student becomes a Team Captain and recruits a group of people to walk. S/he sets fundraising goals, develops a marketing plan, organizing fundraising activities, creates marketing materials - including flyers, poster and letters - and executes the plan. The project culminates with the walk - this year it's on October 6th - held on-campus.

Since 2005, more than 200 students at Fresno State have completed The Light The Night Project, raising a total of $70,000. Dr. Skip Sherwood, Professor Emeritus of Marketing and member of the LTN Committee, lends his expertise to students involved in this project. He notes, "As a former marketing professor, I am constantly overwhelmed by the dedication, passion, and abilities of the students in the Craig School of Business."

To learn more about the Light The Night Walk in Fresno or a community near you, visit www.lightthenight.org.

For more information on The Light The Night Project , visit the Fresno State information page.

Image from www.fresnostatenews.com.

Blogging for Blood Cancers – August 11-18

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:53:13 GMT

Thanks to our friend Lois over at Goodies for Mom for telling us about the Blogging for Blood Cancers event that she’s organizing in conjunction with Friends of Heroes national Light The Night Team! Together, they have started week-long blogging initiative where bloggers across the web will join together and blog about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The inaugural Blogging for Blood Cancersevent, taking place during the week of August 11th, is a great way to raise awareness about the fight against blood cancers and to share your story. If you write or contribute to a blog, you can be a part of it too, and be entered to win some great prizes.

Friends of Heroes(which Lois is also a member of) is a national Light the Night Friends and Family Team. It is comprised of moms, dads, families and friends compelled to help find a cure for blood cancers. Friends of Heroes is the largest team of this type in the country and, this year, hopes to reach the $1 million mark in donations for this year’s Light The Night Walk.

Visit the event post for more information, banners for the event, and a list of prizes. And start blogging!

These are the Days of our Lives . . .

christine.lazzari@lls.org — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:55:52 GMT

How many soap fans out there? Come on, don’t be shy. Here at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, we play favorites. The hands-down winner is NBC’s The Days of our Lives. Aside from entertaining audiences for more than 40 years with plot twists and cliff-hangers, drama and romance, the show has played an important role in educating people about LLS.

In 2002, Chloe, a leading character, was diagnoses with leukemia. Following her story, the audience learned about the threats of this disease and the struggle to find a matching marrow donor. The other characters joined together organize events, donate money, form walk teams and raise money for The Light The Night Walk. Take a look at this scene, which originally aired on September 20, 2002, where Roman and Kate end a heated argument to participate in walk.

The show has been a invaluable supporter of Light The Night. In these last six years, they’ve featured the event several times, tied in fundraisers and included stories touching some of the most popular characters. And we love every minute of it!