Campaign kicks off to benefit leukemia patients

MAT-SU -- Beginning March 3, students in eight schools around the Valley will be looking for a little spare change -- not for sodas or candy, but to help save lives.

Student councils, key clubs and other student groups are pitching together to raise money for patient aid and research aimed at finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers. They will be kicking off two programs designed to educate them and their community about blood cancers and what they can do in the battle against such diseases.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Pennies for Patients campaign has been a success across the nation, according to LLS representative Kelly (Theurer) Martineau, who works in the society's Seattle office. The event has been in effect since 1991, and raised more than $10 million last year, Martineau said. Although it's not a new program, it is new to the Valley -- last year was the first year the fundraising event was held in the state, and only one Anchorage school took part, said local event organizer Kelly Marre. With fundraising events going on in the Valley as well as Anchorage, Marre said they're hoping to far exceed the $200,000 raised in Washington and Alaska during the campaign last year.

"I think if we can get the Valley involved, we can surpass that," Marre said. "It's so easy for schools to do -- everything is provided, and it really makes it easy for them."

Each school in Alaska, Marre said, has two honored patients, Ariel Courtwright, a 9-year-old Eagle River resident and Kathryn Petros, an Anchorage high school senior and lieutenant governor of Alaska key clubs. Both girls successfully underwent treatment for leukemia, and both have been in remission for several years. Marre, who's organizing the event for the first time in the Valley, is doing so in honor of her son, Logan Marre, who died in October 1998 from leukemia.

Students taking part in the campaign will have opportunities to learn about blood-related cancers, Marre said -- each group taking part will receive an age-specific video that provides information about blood cancers, what the cost of treatment is, and how they can help.

Throughout the two-week fundraising event, groups will collect donations in penny jars placed around the schools involved. After the fundraiser wraps up on March 15, participating groups can take their collection to Coin Star machines around the Valley and have their collection counted and submitted directly to LLS through Coin Star.

The process is simple, Marre said and open to incorporating things to make the process fit each participating group. Some of the schools involved are still working out the details, Marre said, and may hold competitions between classes, with a pizza party for the winning classroom provided by LLS. Schools are also eligible for other fundraising prizes, such as certificates to Amazon.com. Because the competition is taking place across the nation, there are also nationwide prizes for top fund raisers.

Although the fund raising event is ready to begin this week, Marre said schools or other youth-related groups are still able to join and take part. For more information about joining in the fund raising effort, contact Marre at 373-1528 or contact Kelly (Theurer) Martineau at 1-888-345-4572, ext. 113. The event isn't for schools only -- Marre said she'd like to see more homeschooling families get involved, and welcomes participation from any group.

"It's so easy to modify," Marre said. "If private groups want to get involved, we can arrange that, too."

Along with the penny campaign, Marre said, LLS is teaming up with Blood Bank of Alaska to raise the awareness of the need for and collect donations of blood for use by cancer patients. Leukemia patients and people with other types of cancer need regular transfusions, Marre said, and the need often increases pressure for donors in Alaska.

During the duration of the campaign, cancer patients will have priority for blood donations to the Blood Bank of Alaska. Donations can be earmarked, or tagged with a pink tag, to be available for use by cancer patients in need of transfusions. Marre said donors will also be able to donate in memory of a loved one -- she writes "In memory of Logan Marre" on her donation bags, she said.

The Pennies for Patients campaign is the second event Marre has helped organize in the Valley to benefit LLS, and she said she hopes it's as successful as previous ventures. Last year's Light the Night walk in Wasilla brought in more than 220 participants, and raised more than $13,000 for patient care and research, Marre said. She said she hopes both events -- the penny campaign and the blood drive -- are helpful to Alaskans and their families with leukemia, as well as a good education for students.

"It lets kids know more about [leukemia and lymphoma] and gives them a little bit of a taste of philanthropy," Marre said.

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.