Regan Fusting’s father wanted to know where she learned to write a corporate donation letter like the one he received earlier this month.
“He said, ‘Where’d you learn to do this? It’s so professional looking,’” said Fusting, 18, a senior at Franklin Regional and member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Student Visionaries of the Year program.
Fusting, along with fellow team members Shaeley Reichbaum and Hadley Regelski, are one of 17 teams of teens from across the Pittsburgh region taking the initiative to organize fundraisers for the society for seven weeks.
Reichbaum, 16, a junior, said the idea came from John Danchisko, who serves as adviser to the high school’s FR vs. Cancer Club.
“I saw it as something I could fit well into,” Reichbaum said. “I like helping people and offering support they might not have.”
A place on the team also meant a chance for the trio to sharpen their leadership skills.
“We did a letter-writing campaign, sending out 100 letters each to spread the word,” Fusting said. “I’ve never sent this many emails in my life.”
Erica Gribbin of Plum is the society’s campaign development manager, and said those type of skills are a big part of the program.
“The goal of the campaign isn’t just to raise money,” Gribbin said. “We want to help these kids build up their resumes, learn public speaking, make sure that they’re checking and responding to emails every day. We’re showing them skills they’ll need as adults moving forward.”
That also means relatively little assistance in organizing a wide variety of fundraisers, from selling Valentine’s Day “candygrams” at the high school to 50/50 raffles, “penny war” competitions and even a middle school volleyball tournament that will raise money for society programs.
Fusting, Reichbaum and Regelski meet for roughly five hours per week to continue planning and organizing events.
“We’re all really enjoying the team bonding aspect and meeting new people,” said Regelski, 16, a sophomore. “We’re gaining confidence and developing communication skills that we didn’t think about.”
“Without this experience, I don’t think I’d ever formally approached someone who’s not one of my teachers,” Reichbaum said. “It’s great to know how to format an email and have it not be sloppy and informal.”
Gribbin said it’s great to watch student teams progress as the campaign – which runs through March 31 – moves forward.
“A lot start off unsure of themselves or they wonder, ‘What if we ask for money and they say no?’” she said. “They’ve made big asks to different companies, and when they say yes, whether it’s $500 or $5,000, the kids get this new sense of confidence.
“It makes them work harder and I love watching that,” she said.
The top two fundraising teams in the nation are recognized at the end of the campaign. Last year, student teams in the Pittsburgh region raised more than $830,000 for the society’s blood cancer research and patient services.
For more, see LLSstudent visionaries.org.
Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .