Community service runs in 17-year-old Noor Ashfaq’s blood. The high school junior is passionate about using her time and talents to help make the world a better place for others, a trait she inherited from her mother.
But something else runs in her family’s bloodline, as well.
“My grandpa passed away two or three years ago from cancer,” Ashfaq, 17, of Sewickley, said. “My cousin passed away from cancer in 2015 when she was just 16 years old.”
When Ashfaq found out about the opportunity to raise funds and awareness for blood cancer treatments, the memories of her grandfather and cousin inspired her to get involved.
Ashfaq, who participates in a homeschool hybrid program with Quaker Valley High School, received an email from Amy Keller, Quaker Valley’s career education coordinator, about an opportunity to become a candidate for Blood Cancer United’s annual “Student Visionary of the Year” campaign.
Ashfaq was one of the first students to express interest.
“I’m a candidate for a team that I put together called Butterflies United in honor of my cousin, Brianna,” Ashfaq said. “Butterflies became a symbol for her, I guess you could say. She loved nature and animals.”
According to Blood Cancer United’s local campaign development manager Erica Gribbin, Pittsburgh’s Student Visionary of the Year program started in 2017. The seven-week philanthropic leadership development program is a fundraising competition for high school students in Western Pennsylvania.
Students compete in teams, which are typically organized around a school or friend group. Teams are led by student “candidates,” who must be nominated by a teacher, school administrator or community member. The candidate whose team raises the most funds by the end of the seven weeks is crowned the “Student Visionary of the Year.”
Since 2017, Pittsburgh-based teams have raised more than $4 million through the student-led fundraising campaign. Donations help Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia Lymphoma Society) offer a variety of services to cancer patients and their families, including copay assistance, support groups, health and wellness events, financial literary classes and the Dare to Dream program.
“Dare to Dream is our initiative to better fund treatments for children,” Gribbin said. “Leukemia is the number one most diagnosed form of blood cancer in kids, so we take that very seriously. Treatments that are designed for adults can have long-lasting effects on kids, so we’re trying to fund treatments specifically for children.”
Ashfaq leads a fundraising team of about a dozen members comprising friends and family. Her team has set an ambitious fundraising goal of $25,000. Teams have until March 28 to collect donations. The top three teams in Pittsburgh will be recognized at a grand finale celebration.
“This is pretty much my first time ever doing something like this,” Ashfaq said. “I was really looking for leadership opportunities, not something to just do for credit. I wanted something that would actually make a difference and help solve real-world problems, so this hit all the boxes.”
Gribbin said that many student candidates are motivated to participate for similar reasons.
“Many of them are connected to somebody who has suffered from a blood cancer,” Gribbin said. “They also want to learn leadership skills. This experience looks good on a college application. Ultimately, most students just want to give back to their community. That sense of giving back has been huge for them.”
Leading a team of young and inexperienced fundraisers to meet lofty goals is definitely a challenging undertaking for Ashfaq. That’s why she is grateful for the hands-on coaching that Gribbin provides to all team candidates.
“Erica has been very helpful,” Ashfaq said. “She runs the teams in the Pittsburgh region, so she works with all the candidates from 17 different teams. She goes over how to send out emails to businesses, how to connect with people about donations and how to explain the sponsorship opportunity.”
Gribbin provides one-to-one guidance to candidates via in-person meetings at coffee shops or cafes. Sometimes she conducts the coaching sessions via Zoom or at the candidate’s home. She shares fundraising best practices with them and trains them to pass this knowledge along to their teammates.
“Noor took initiative to reach out to me right away to find out how she could get started,” Gribbin said. “Her work ethic is just incredible. She’s always prepared when we have our meetings. She’s motivating her team very well. She’s such a good kid, so it’s really fun to work with her.”
Although it’s been a challenge to solicit businesses for donations, Ashfaq finds that the leadership skills she is developing as a result of this program are just as valuable and rewarding as the actual donations that come in.
“Leading the team has been a valuable learning experience for me,” Ashfaq said. “I have to take into account what I’m doing, but also manage what they’re doing and how to keep them motivated, which has been harder than I expected. But I have learned a lot. It’s been a good experience.”
Local students who are interested in finding out how they can get involved with next year’s Student Visionary of the Year campaign are encouraged to email Erica.Gribbin@lls.org or submit an online application at llsstudentvisionaries.org.
“I think it’s definitely important for everyone, especially kids, to get involved with certain leadership programs and things that actually have real world implications,” Ashfaq said. “It’s easier to think about what we’d like to do in the future, but what we can do right now is definitely helpful.”
To contribute to Ashfaq’s campaign, you can visit her fundraising page at https://pages.lls.org/svoy/wpa/svoypitt26/nashfaq.