Burbank High students host fundraiser for blood cancer research
Three Burbank High School students will host a fundraiser on Sunday to raise money and awareness on blood cancer research.
The “Brunch and Bag” event will take place between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Once Upon a Page, located at 2527 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank. There will be breakfast foods, coffee, apple cider and cupcakes served at the event, said Lauren Ryan, who is one of the organizers.
Ryan, a senior at Burbank, is putting on the fundraiser with her classmates Hazen Dragomer and Nicole Howell as part of a seven-week fundraising competition among 14 other schools in Southern California.
Ryan said she and her classmates are trying to raise $50,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, adding that fundraising efforts started in late January.
The campaign holds a special place in Ryan’s heart. In 2003, her father was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and passed away from the disease in April 2009.
During her father’s bout in 2007, Ryan’s brother, who was 18 years old at the time, was diagnosed with lymphoma. Then in 2014, her grandmother was diagnosed with the same disease.
Fortunately, for her and her family, both her brother and grandmother are in remission, Ryan said.
“Out of every bad situation, something positive comes out of it,” she said. “Ten years before my brother was diagnosed, there was about a 3% chance of survival, but because of research, that percentage has improved greatly.”
The other part of Sunday’s fundraiser includes a silent auction, in which about 60 purses, ranging from designer and nondesigner models, can be auctioned.
“All of the money that is raised during the auction will go toward our campaign,” Ryan said.
She added that she and her classmates will be hosting other fundraising events, such as a fun run and a dinner night at a restaurant.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
