Cornhole for a cure
Event at Racing City Brewing Company raises money for Leukemia society
SARATOGASPRINGS, N.Y. >> Eventgoers were playing Cornhole for a Cure on Sunday during a firsttime tournament to raise money for the the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The event, held Sunday afternoon at Racing City Brewing Company, was organized by Stillwater High School sophomore Devon Wagner, who is currently campaigning to be the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Student of the Year for the Upstate New York/ Vermont area.
This contest, a new tradition started last year, is modeled after the society’s annual Man & Woman of the Year philanthropic competitions for adults. Devon’s dad Brad Wagner competed for the title of Man of the Year in 2010, and raised more than $50,000.
This inspired Devon to do the same. The goal for her campaign, titled Team Believe, is to raise $50,000 - and so far she’s on track to make it happen.
This local 15-year- old is on a mission to help find a cure for cancer, which has affected her family. “Recently, this year, I’ve kind of found my purpose in life, and that is to bring the world one step closer to a cure,” she said. “I just felt like it was my time to do what I needed to do.”
Through her efforts, Devon’s aims to inspire people, she said, and give them hope that a cure is out there.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Upstate New York/ Vermont is impressed with and grateful for Devon and Team Believe, said board of trustees member Holly Garofano. “Devon has really done so much work pulling together all of the community, and her loved ones, and her
friends and her family for a really great cause. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be here to support her.”
Over the last few weeks Devon and Team Believe have hosted a pub crawl and two cocktail parties along with a paint and sip event and Sunday’s big cornhole tournament - all raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The idea for the cornhole tournament arose when Devon was talking with her gym teacher, then a couple more teachers helped to organize the event, one of the largest of the seven-week campaign.
The next upcoming Team Believe fundraiser, and the final event scheduled before Student of the Year campaign ends, is a family fun karaoke event called “We Believe You Can Sing!” at which friends will donate to Team Believe to out a singer’s hidden talents. This event will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 at Nostalgia Ale House and Wine Bar, located at 113 Rt. 9P in Malta.
Online donations to Devon’s Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Student of the Year campaign can be made at events.lls.org/uny/ unysoy19/dwagner.
More information about Team Believe is available online at www.facebook. com/devonwagner19.