Friendly Fundraising Competition Kicks Off its Inaugural Year in The Woodlands
(The Woodlands, Texas) 04/03/18 – At the beautiful East Shore Club in the heart of The Garden District in The Woodlands, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) kicked off its inaugural Man & Woman of the Year (MWOY) Fundraising Campaign on Thursday, March 22.
This unique and highly successful LLS charity campaign affectionately pits a group of male and female community influencers against one another to see who can raise the most money in a 10-week period. The top fundraiser from each gender will be crowned Man & Woman of the Year at the campaign’s Grand Finale Celebration.
Cristina Kooker, with KHOU TV’s “Great Day Houston,” formally introduced the following as Man & Woman of the Year candidates: Ian José Ramirez, Blair Adkins, Brad Leigh, Lucas Novick, Kalli Gonzalez, Carrie Fetner, Erin Cones, Holly Price, Julie Bickle and Shannah Quinn. The society’s Texas Gulf Coast Chapter’s Boy & Girl of the Year, James Ryan and Willow Kreitz, were on hand to greet and thank the candidates. Along with delicious food and drinks, the event provided a special video presentation from U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady who spoke about the tremendous success of LLS’s funding efforts for 15 of the 18 drugs the FDA approved for blood cancer treatment in 2017. He continued by wishing all the candidates great success and said he looks forward to hearing who the FIRST Man & Woman of the Year will be for Montgomery County.
Each of the candidates have formed fundraising teams that will work tirelessly and in myriad creative ways to raise monies that will go toward finding a cure for blood cancers.
“We are so thrilled to have such a robust group of candidates who have kindly volunteered their hearts and their time to help raise lifesaving dollars in the fight against blood cancer,” said Mindy Reynolds, campaign manager for LLS’s inaugural Man & Woman of the Year campaign in The Woodlands.
Upcoming campaign fundraising events in the works by candidates include an opera performance by Ian José Ramirez at the Glade Arts Cultural Center; candidate Holly Price will guest-host Artfeel Live, a one-hour show produced by The Woodlands Arts Council, which takes place at Crush Wine Lounge; and Shannah Quinn will take part in Runway Houston this year.
The 2018 Man & Woman of the Year will be announced at the Grand Finale Celebration on June 1 at The Westin at The Woodlands. The winners will be selected based on their success in generating funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society during the 10 weeks following the kickoff event. Candidates can bring in funds through third-party events, corporate sponsorships, online fundraising, and by utilizing their own talents and networks. Last year the MWOY national campaign raised a whopping $41 million for LLS programs.
To learn more about LLS and the Man & Woman of the Year Campaign, including how to donate to a candidate, please visit mwoy.org/txg or call the Man & Woman of the Year staff at 832-463-3614.