Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

I’ve been working with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society since about ’99 when I used to participate and organize a team for their walks in NJ. I’ve been working with this particular chapter since 2002. The Light the Night walk, one of their main fundraisers, kind of holds a special place in this little Dishie’s heart because it was the first walk I organized in college. They were really awesome about sending all the info I needed to advertise as soon as I got to Boston. Unfortunately, the walk was about a week and a half in to the school year, so after getting things approved and flyering the heck out of the campus. I only got one person to sign up. And she only came because she found out someone from Days of Our Lives was going to be there. haha. Which is cool. of course. I’m pro-​volunteering no matter what the reason (for the most part. that might come to bite me in the arse later). She actually became a really good friend of mine and a huge support for me in college. The girl walking with me, not the Days of Our Lives star. Slash. once Debbie. pardon me. Deborah Gibson. showed up.
I love their Light the Night walk. The course is pretty short (just around the Common really), but I love the idea of illuminated balloons. I remember my first walk and seeing all the white balloons (survivors). Each year there’s more and more and yeah. you know that the fundraising, no matter how short the walk, is really worth something. My only real qualm with this particular chapter. not to single them out because I find this common in other orgs in Boston. is that they don’t reschedule their walks. It’s been rained out at least twice (maybe/​methinks thrice) in the past several years and since they book the Common. it’s really hard to reschedule. Knowing Boston’s unpredictable weather, I think there should definitely always be a rain date (especially since you’re dealing with hundreds of balloons). Otherwise, the staff is really nice. They do have a bit of turn over. which probably explains why they STILL send stuff to my NJ address (the Boston chapter does. I don’t know why. because they have my current information). but they’ve got a lot on their plate. so it’s really no big deal. I’m considering joining their Team in Training program. but we shall see if over ambitious Trish prevails in 2008! :)

If you are looking to train for endurance event, I highly recommend LLS Team in Training. The coaches, mentors, and staff are wonderful. Yes, you have to fund raise, but 75% of the money you raise goes to patient services, research and education. They really do give you a lot of help and make sure you are prepared for your event. The city run team meets on Saturday mornings in Cambridge to start our runs. There is usually a some type of clinic (stretching, cross training, clothing/​shoes, nutrition, etc.) beforehand, so you learn a lot about running, yourself, and that your body can do more than you give it credit for.
There are a wide variety of endurance events — biking, running, walking, hiking, triathlons — anytime of year and events all over the country.
I am running my first marathon in October with TNT. Go Team!

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society helps raise awareness & funding to fight blood cancers. Other than the fact I am a Lymphoma survivor. this really is a great organization. You probably know someone who has participated in some of their marathons in far off places & local events, or even the infamous Light The Night walk in Boston! Volunteering for this organization is really easy (sometimes a little disorganized but what nfp is? They appreciate all the support!) — either for events or they almost always are looking for people to come do office work in Framingham. Maybe I will see you there!