Making the largest impact
Two Spalding students raise more than $300K for cancer research
Sam Pratt said her life was changed forever last summer when she helped out as a camp counselor at Camp Sunrise in Monkton, a free weeklong sleepaway camp for children who are undergoing chemotherapy or have recently completed chemotherapy treatments.
At the camp,the Archbishop Spalding senior saw small children go through the difficult journey of battling cancer and while she found it heartbreaking, she also appreciated having the opportunity to see them break free of their pain and have moments of joy.
“It was hard to see them struggle and cry each day and cough through the night, but I loved working with them, and we got to see them smile too,” said Sam, 18.
Sam was able to connect with the children after having waged her own battle with cancer as a child. Now, she works to help others facing the same obstacles she had to overcome. Sam and her brother Ryan, 16, recently completed a fundraiser that raised more than $300,000 for cancer research.
The siblings did this as part of Student Visionaries of the Year, a philanthropic leadership development program for high school students. Every year, young leaders embark on a sevenweek journey as part of the effort to rid the world of blood cancers and perhaps win the award for Student Visionary of the year.
Last year Sam raised $168,000 and ended up winning the title as the number one fundraiser in Maryland, said Andrew Steckel, manager of Student Visionaries of the Year for
Maryland. Steckel met Sam last year when she was first nominated to run her own team.
“Other than the fact that they’re absolutely phenomenal students, they’re honestly some of the best people I’ve ever had the privilege of working with,” he said of Sam and Ryan.
The Visionary of the Year is a nationwide campaign with 1,100 teams. Last year, the initiative raised $42.8 million, Steckel said.
The Pratts raised money through community
outreach, hosting fundraiser events and sending out lots of emails, they said.
One of their largest fundraisers involved hosting a workout class, at the F45 gym in Solomons Island, where she and her mom are members, Sam said.
“This year and last year we made our own workout class,” she said. “Me and one of our teammates, Lilly Mullen, raffled off a free month membership. All the money went to our campaign.”
Sam was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia when she was 3 years old. It’s a form of cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. It is the most common type of cancer in children, according to the Mayo Clinic, and with treatment can be cured. Chances of a cure are “greatly reduced” in adults, the clinic says.
She’s been in remission since she was 6 and next month she will celebrate 13 years of being cancer-free.
Ryan doesn’t remember much from that time aside from being in the hospital a little but is proud to be an advocate to help others going through cancer treatment.
The money raised from Student Visionaries
of the Year goes to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a nonprofit organization built on the vision of a better world without blood cancers.
“They break the funds down, so some of the money goes to education, some goes to support, and some goes to advocacy,” Sam said. “They decide where they can make the largest impact.”
Sam and Ryan’s father Todd Pratt said he was incredibly proud of his children’s hard work, empathy and determination.
“This experience has not only raised funds for a worthy cause but has also taught them valuable life skills and the importance of giving back,” he said. “I also want to express my gratitude to everyone who supported them in this endeavor.”
A s g r a d u a t i o n approaches, Sam plans to continue advocating for cancer research. Not only does she plan on going into biomedical engineering when she attends college at Penn State this fall but she also hopes to turn her team, the “Cancer Wrecking Crew,” into a nonprofit raising money to help support families fighting cancer.
“This will probably be my last year working this fundraiser,” said Ryan. “But I will still be in the leadership team helping LLS and the visionaries next year. I’ll show them how to start and how to raise money.”