When the 2018 season finished only a few short weeks ago, 2019 started for Dylan Tavella and his Ride With Dylan efforts. With more than $20,000 raised in 2018 to fight children’s leukemia, Dylan Tavella was named the honorary candidate for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Long Island Chapter Students of the Year initiative.
Students of the Year is a fierce seven-week fundraising competition, for which high school students appeal to family and friends to raise critical funds, which LLS deploys to advance breakthrough treatments and to support the more than 1.3 million blood cancer patients in the U.S. The candidates/teams who raise the most money at the end of the competition earn the title Student(s) of the Year. Top local fundraisers become eligible to win the national title. The students raise money in honor of a local patient hero who is currently battling or is in remission from a blood cancer.
“It is truly an honor to be selected by The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” explained Tavella. “When the idea of Ride With Dylan was conceived, we were not sure exactly how it would be accepted. As the season went on and we added more faces to the car, the interest grew and during the final round of the season at COTA, the response was incredible.”
While candidates who participate in Students of the Year will have seven weeks to raise funds, as an honorary candidate, Tavella will be collecting funds all year round. With a yet-to-be-announced program a done deal, the main goal for Tavella is to continue to give back and assist in gaining donations when and where possible.
Tavella continued, “I want to try and double, or even triple, what we raised in 2019. We got a late start in 2018, so I am confident that this is very doable. I am going to push the program as much as I can and on every level, all while holding my position an honorary Student of the Year for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.”
“Congratulations to Dylan for accepting this honorary position,” said Sara Lipsky, Executive Director of the Long Island Chapter of LLS. “He is demonstrating that no matter your age, you can have a significant impact in the advancement of cancer cures.”
Later this week, Dylan Tavella will have a formal announcement about his complete 2019 racing season.
For more information on Ride With Dylan, please visit www.RideWithDylan.com or any of the social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit the links below.
Check out: ‘Ride With Dylan – The Story’ – https://vimeo.com/283217667
Donate to Ride With Dylan/Children’s Leukemia – https://www.ridewithdylan.com/donate/
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.