Leukemia Lymphoma Society—The Leukemia Lymphoma Society(LLS) is a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness for people with Leukemia or Lymphoma(blood cancers). Ways our youth can get involved is through the Student Visionaries Program. The student visionaries program is a 7-week race(January 6th-February 24th) between all the teams in their state to raise the most money. Each team has 1-3 candidates and their team members, and the candidates lead the team. Each team can have various ways to raise money, like fundraisers, personal asks, and sponsorships. Leading up to the 7-week race, team members can get pledges from companies. Along this journey, each state receives a mentor to help with anything they need, like getting sponsorships, finding the best tactic to raise money, and coming up with my elevator pitch.
Operation Smile—Operation Smile is a non-profit organization that raises money and awareness for children with cleft lip or palate. A cleft lip or palate can be found in every 1-500-750 children, and their overall mission is to raise money for children who can’t afford it. The money they raise goes to children from underdeveloped countries who can’t afford the surgery—ways our youth can get involved through the unique and enriching Operation Smile Student Programs. This provides our young adults with not just fundraising ideas, but also valuable tips and insights. They also have the opportunity to go on surgical program trips, where they go to underdeveloped countries and aid the children who are about to get into surgery and after. This is also an excellent opportunity for young adults to build networking, leadership, and management skills!
Red Cross—The Red Cross is a non-profit organization whose overall goal is to “prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.” They strive to obtain more volunteers to help with disaster relief, blood donation/transfusion, helping military and veterans, and so much more! One way our youth can get involved is by becoming a volunteer or advocate for the Red Cross. Red Cross youth volunteers learn valuable lessons to work effectively with people from different backgrounds, learn about other communities and create positive change. They use their leadership skills, make new friends, and explore new interests, all in a friendly. High school and college students can join or start a Red Cross Club, doing service and educational projects to benefit the school and community. This is not just about service, but about personal growth and empowerment
