Hendrick Hudson Students Making History Raising Funds
Caption: (L-R:) Katelyn Hartigan, Delia Schmitt, and MariaPorokhina. 
A trio of juniors is in the process of making history in the Hendrick Hudson School District.
Katelyn Hartigan, Maria Porokhina and Delia Schmitt are the first team from Hendrick Hudson to participate in the Students of the Year program, a seven-week initiative in which high school students nationwide participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The three classmates said they got involved in the program after a team of friends from The Ursuline School in New Rochelle won the campaign last year. They were also inspired by a local elementary school student in that was diagnosed with leukemia in the fall.
“They told us about what a great experience it was, and we decided that we wanted to get involved,” the trio, whose fundraising page carries the name Team In It For The Cure, jointly stated. “So far it has been very rewarding experience to connect with our community through the means of coming together to fundraise and try to find a cure.”
Leukemia is the most common form of cancer in children and teens. Since the early 1960s, five-year survival rates for many blood cancer patients have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are helping patients with other cancers and serious diseases. In fact, drugs first approved for blood cancers are now approved to treat patients with stomach cancers, skin cancers, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
The teens fundraising goal by March 12 is $15,000. To date, they have raised almost $13,000 with help from friends, family, and community members.
“We know that this is a big goal, but we are hoping that we will be able to reach it with hard work,” they stated. “We really are changing the face of blood cancer! All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They’ll not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients, and support advocacy for laws to ensure patients can access the care and treatments they need.”
To make a donation or learn more about Team In It For The Cure, visit the link to their page at https://events.lls.org/ctwhv/CTWHVSOY20/tforthecur.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/