Manhasset High School students Casey Roszko and Maddie Girard won first place in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Students of the Year campaign.
The two girls led the “For the Love of the Blood” Team in conjunction with the Manhasset High School Key Club and raised an impressive $118,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The team’s contribution made up more than one-third of all the funds raised during this year’s campaign.
During the course of a seven-week period spanning from early March to late April, Roszko and Girard hosted numerous events and donation collections. Among them were a spare change donation drive, a dress drive, a bake sale, a ribbon sale, fundraisers through Moe’s Southwest Grill in Greenvale and Flower Shop Inc. in Manhasset, and spin sessions at Peloton indoor exercise bikes of Manhasset. They also hosted a “Dress Your Teacher Like a Bunny” campaign through the school and culminated their efforts by hosting an age-appropriate cocktail party.
“We are so proud of this team of young adults who had an amazing opportunity to show how motivated, passionate and creative they have been during this fundraising process,” said Key Club co-adviser Samantha Lupa, whose group helped to host many of the fundraising events along with a team of 17 other helpful students and adults who were led by Girard and Roszko. Stephen Guildolin also co-advises Key Club.
In 2011, Girard was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, around the time she moved to Manhasset with her family. Shortly after her diagnosis, she began treatment, enduring six rounds of chemotherapy over the course of eight months.
Today, Girard is cancer free. From the day Girard was diagnosed in the fourth grade, her best friend Roszko and fellow co-captain on the Manhasset High School girls varsity lacrosse team has been by her side. Upon hearing of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student Series and Student of the Year campaign, Roszko and Maddie decided to coordinate with Key Club and the team for this fundraiser and raise money to help find a cure for blood cancer.
“Maddie and I wanted to do this campaign because blood cancers have had such a strong impact on our lives,” Roszko said. “We wanted to give back to LLS and continue to raise awareness for this cause. Throughout our campaign we held many fundraisers and reached out to the community and were able to raise over $118,000. This was such an amazing experience for us and we were able to learn so much and make a huge difference.”
The funds raised through Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Students of the Year campaign are used for continuing research of therapies that are saving thousands of lives. Additionally, funds are used for awareness education; patient support and policy advocacy make new treatments more accessible.
“Participating in the Student of the Year campaign for LLS was an experience I’ll never forget. I was fortunate to have this opportunity to raise money for a cause I relate to, and better yet, I got to do it with my best friend since birth,” Girard said. “My firsthand experience with the disease made me want to help other people going through it and hopefully one day put an end to blood cancers.”
“Casey and Maddie’s story has been so inspiring with love and friendship,” said Lupa, who was also one of the teachers who was voted by students to dress as a bunny to raise funds. “It’s our hope that their fight and passion to help others resonates within our student community and inspires other students to do the same!”
