Jensen Beach High School juniors Rachel Williams, Noah Polhemus, and Caden Tucker have put their hearts into raising awareness and funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)’s Palm Beach-Treasure Coast “Student of the Year” campaign. While they are not the only local students doing wonderful things for the community and competing for the title, these three friends all have been personally touched by cancer in some way, which makes this cause especially meaningful to them.
The members of the trio offer their perspectives on their “Answer for Cancer” campaign and their teamwork below:
Stuart: How did this partnership come to be?
Williams: I moved here a year ago from Orlando and became friends with Noah and Caden and our parents eventually all became friends, too. Noah came to us to make a team for this year’s Student(s) of the Year competition, and we have been working hard since then to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
What moved you to action to join this effort for LLS?
Williams: My team and I have all witnessed friends and family be diagnosed with cancer and the struggles that come with that. So, when we got this opportunity to be the change and help further cancer research at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and beyond, we instantly wanted to be part of this amazing effort.
How did you come up with the team name?
Tucker: We sat down and asked ourselves the question of how we want to portray ourselves to the community. The only answer we could think of was “to find the cure.” Our name is Answer for Cancer because we want to be the answer to stop this disease. We have collectively been raising money to help contribute to finding the answer for the cure.
How are you hoping this effort impacts the people in your life?
Tucker: There are many reasons why we came together as a team to raise money for this cause. Our biggest reason was to hope that one day the donations will allow for LLS to find a cure and eradicate cancer so no one has to experience it ever again. We want to be the change and we hope that we can make a big impact on those around us. We have watched some of our close friends suffer from blood cancers, and it’s time to put a stop to it. We are the answer for cancer.
How are you inspired by your teammates?
Polhemus: Our relationship has been built on mutual respect and learning to communicate not just as friends, but as teammates. We bounce ideas off each other and discuss the positive impacts we hope to make with our fundraising. Personally, I think this effort has been a character builder for all of us. We each have individual strengths and come together to make the awesome team Answer for Cancer.
Describe the fundraising experience so far.
Polhemus: We have learned so much about making connections, fine-tuning our people skills, and learning the inner workings of an organization like LLS. It has opened our eyes to how giving the people in our community are and the impact we can make when people come together for a common goal. There is no “I” in team, and I believe we will remember this experience for a very long time.
Learn more and donate to the Answer for Cancer team’s campaign here.
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