Celebrating Our Volunteers

On Thursday night The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Central PA Chapter held it's annual Volunteer Recognition and Celebration at The Hotel Hershey.

We think about and are grateful for our volunteers every day. They are the driving force behind our mission to cure blood cancers and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Volunteers may give of their time, talent and treasure because they have a connection or they want to join us in our important effort to save lives. For whatever reason they choose to volunteer, we are grateful to them.



Celebrating our volunteers at The Hotel Hershey. 



Our 2012 Awardees were:

Tom Garrett - Team In Training Hero Award

Dave Godfrey - Light The Night Hero Award

Abeer Srouji - Man & Woman of the Year Hero Award

Angela Miller - Summer Solstice Celebration Hero Award

Michelle Shriner - Patient Services Hero Award

Sue Leonard - Ski4Life Hero Award

JFC Staffing, Inc. - Executive Director's Award

Dustin Beaver and Ashley Fazekas - Patricia Donaldson Youth of the Year Award

Rick Atkinson - Board of Director's Award

Valenti Management - Corporate Award

Lori Reese - Buck Miller Award, Outstanding Volunteer of the Year

Brian Bucher - Winged Victory Award, Outstanding Patient Volunteer of the Year

Awards were also presented to Lindsay Coulter and Tania Srouji for each raising over $50,000 for the Harrisburg Man & Woman of the Year campaign and having the honor to sponsor an LLS researcher.

Check our Facebook page as more photos from volunteer recognition are posted.

Volunteer Spotlight: Larry Adams

From marathons and black tie galas to school-based fundraisers, LLS relies on a large network of committed volunteers to assist us in carrying out all the fundraising programs that raise funds so we can provide life-enhancing patient services. Our volunteers are an essential part of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter.

This Tuesday we are shining the spotlight on volunteer Larry Adams. Larry is a participant turned mentor and marathon coach for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program. Team In Training is the world’s largest sports endurance program that trains individuals to complete a full or half marathon, a 100-mile cycle ride or a triathlon in exchange for raising funds for LLS’s mission. Each Team In Training volunteer participant is paired with a coach and mentor to guide them to the finish line as well as an honored teammate, a blood cancer patient, to provide inspiration.

Name: Larry Adams

In school/working/retired?: work at Harrisburg Area Community College

How long have you been volunteering with LLS?: Started as a participant and did my first marathon in January 2003.　 Became a mentor the following year, 2004 and started coaching in 2006.

What got you started?: My son Marcus is a leukemia survivor. He was diagnosed at age seven. Five years after his treatments ended, Anne and I decided that Team in Training would be an ideal way to "give back" for the blessing of Marcus reaching his 5-year survival mark.  He is now 24 years old and is a testament to what research can help make possible.

How many Team In Training events have you participated in?: As a fund raising participant, 3. As a mentor and coach, I’ve lost count.　

What is the funniest thing you’ve seen at a marathon?: Some of the costumes that people wear. Two from last year’s San Diego Rock ‘N Roll Marathon stand out. One was a guy with a very large diaper, no shirt, and a large inflatable monkey on his back. The monkey had a matching diaper and extended at least 4 feet above the guy’s head so you could see him running in the crowd from a long way. The other was a woman wearing only bright red lace panties and a plain cotton t-shirt.　 Given the woman’s size and age, it really wasn’t as attractive as one might think. Funny – yes, but sexy – not really.　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

What about running makes you smile? Seeing the joy people have completing their first half or full marathon for Team In Training.　

Where is the best place you’ve run? Why?: For an event, Lake Placid because of the beautiful countryside and the town. For training, anywhere around Messiah College because of the beautiful countryside and the special feeling of having conquered the hills.

What is your favorite thing to do after an event?: Once the ice bath is finished, meet up with other TNT folks, and the new participants and have a shot of tequila to celebrate!

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy in your free time?: reading, traveling, home projects, and most recently bicycling with friends.

To learn more about volunteering for LLS, contact us at 717.652.6520.

Welcome!

I’m honored to kick-off our very first blog for the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are eager to keep you up-to-date on our progress in the fight against blood cancer. A blog will allow us to do this without delay, without content limitations, and at no expense to the chapter.

For those of you who were readers of our printed newsletter (NewsLine) this marks a big change. We have moved NewsLine to the Central PA Chapter archives, and we are embracing this new technology with an open mind. If, like me, you can still remember when everything was printed on paper this just might take some getting used to! I’m grateful for your patience and continued interest in our patients and passion for our mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

A few of our brightest technology fans at the chapter (Grace Usdin, Amanda Holland, Laura MacNeill and Tiffany Walter) have been encouraging us (pleading really) to get with the times and get on with it already. I’m grateful for their persistence since truly, it would not have happened without them. Thank you Grace, Amanda, Laura and Tiffany for keeping our friends, patients, family members and supporters in mind.

Welcome to Mission in Motion!

Beth Mihmet
Executive Director