Through fundraising and bringing awareness about blood cancer, Brecksville Broadview Heights High School students are making an impact with the non-profit organization of Blood Cancer United. Formally called The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Blood Cancer United is the world’s largest organization that works toward researching and funding for families and patients with all kinds of blood cancer.
Blood Cancer United is working to help patients with blood cancer add more precious years to their lives. Brecksville Broadview Heights High School team has been working for more than a few years to help raise money and organize events for the organization. Class student visionaries of 2025, Donald Karpowicz , Madyson Konieczka, and Hannah Oswick worked together and made over $50,000 to be one of the top 10 teams in Cleveland.
This year’s student head visionaries, juniors Billy Henning, Alexa Zetts and Madi Lupika call themselves “Team Horizon”. Team Horizon has been working hard and have thus far raised around $65,000. 
So far, the team has done a pickle ball tournament “Cheers for a cure” and a student vs. staff volleyball game at the high school. This past month the student vs. staff Volleyball Game raised over $2,000.
This year’s team consists of over 60 members. Henning says, “Blood Cancer United is not the group raising awareness in our community, it is our students.” Being a part of Blood Cancer United isn’t just for the fun of it, it’s bringing awareness and caring about what is being done for a good cause.
Students join Blood Cancer United to build skills that can be used for a lifetime. Even if they have just joined or have been a part of it for years, they are still making a difference in blood cancer awareness.
“I’ve been a part of LLS since my freshman year, when Gaby, Ella, and Kayla were the leaders of that year’s team, Team Compass. My sophomore year I was also part of our team, Team Anchor, led by Mady, Donnie, and Hannah. Those 2 years I spent as a team member helped shape me into the person I am today because they helped me realize that I loved being part of something bigger than myself,” says Zetts.
Being a part of the team for years like Zetts or just joining this year like Henning, both visionaries have realized that they are making a difference and always putting their best efforts toward it.
Zetts states, “Being a part of the student visionaries program has given me many opportunities to enrich my knowledge and abilities. [For example,] meeting with different business owners has helped me improve my confidence; talking to community leaders has given me a deeper gratitude for their support; leading a team has taught me how to help others, and knowing the worthiness of this cause has inspired me to persevere through any challenges.”
Students at BBHHS are not only raising awareness for Blood Cancer United, but they are also working hard to become a better people and learn from these experiences. Not many students have the chance to make such a large impact on their community. However, Zetts, Henning and Lupica are all making making a difference in the community by taking each step forward.
This year’s goal for Team Horizon was to raise $75,000 says Henning, but they are already near that goal, and will continue to increase their goal. The team consistently reaches out to friends, families, companies and the community as a whole for donations and sponsorships. Although it’s not always easy to get sponsors to respond, not giving up is what leads the team to success.
“As a former candidate we were able to help raise awareness and money for blood cancer. We created a team that specifically specialized on the advocacy pillar. This means we raised money to help drive policy changes towards patient care,” says Konieczka, candidate for the 2024-2025 Team Anchor.
To wrap up the year, there is an event being organized in downtown Cleveland. At this event, the teams get together to see how much they raised overall. Many are awaiting the exciting final results.
