Heading into their third year as a group, Team Rangers for a Cure has returned for another season dedicated to fighting blood cancer. Their 47-member Blood Cancer Student Visionary team launched the seven-week campaign on Jan. 23, joining 39 other teams across Northeast Ohio for the annual event.
This year’s Rangers for a Cure visionaries — Lydia Koons, Audrey McNulty, and Erin Boyer — along with team manager Ruby Fraunfelder, are working diligently to raise money and spread awareness for families and patients affected by blood cancer.
In an effort to manage the logistics of the campaign, the leadership has implemented a “divide and conquer” strategy.
“We have six team leads who work under us, and we have them focus on different things,” said Koons. “So we have a couple of team leads who focus on small events like dine-and-donates. Then we have team leads who focus on big events, like our magic show that’s coming up, and that kind of helps everything be more efficient, so we can hopefully reach our goal easier.”
Last year, the team raised approximately $63,000. This year, they have set a goal of $70,000. To reach this, Team Rangers for a Cure will host a variety of community-focused fundraisers throughout the campaign. These fundraisers include Super Bowl squares, raffle baskets at boys’ and girls’ basketball games, dine-and-donate events, a movie night at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium, and a magic show featuring Rick Smith Jr.
Given the immense amount of pressure and dedication that goes into reaching the fundraising goal, the team began the campaign with a kickoff celebration featuring personal stories, motivational speakers, and team-bonding activities.
“I think it was important to start off with a big kickoff because we celebrate the seven weeks we have, and it’s a moment to be with other teams and talk to other people who are doing the same things as you,” McNulty said. “It’s also nice because we get to see what all the other schools are doing.”
Campaign coordinator Savannah Drdek and her team kicked off the event with words of encouragement and celebration that set an inspirational tone for the night. The program began with recognizing teams and leaders from every school, highlighting the money raised on day one, and emphasizing the importance of the mission. While each team has its own approach to the campaign, they all aim to help those with blood cancer.
“The event has made me realize that I’m not alone in this at all, and even though the overall goal might be stressful, that pressure is relieved knowing the outcome,” said Rangers for a Cure team lead Lily Boland.
For Team Rangers for a Cure, Boland is in charge of the team’s large-scale events alongside Carissa LaForte and Genna Abuaun, highlighting the team’s strategy of dividing and conquering.
After the special introduction was made, Drdek and her team invited McKayla Coyne and her family up to speak on their personal experience with blood cancer. The story left not only a meaningful impact on the kickoff but also served as a reminder of the campaign’s purpose.
“I know Blood Cancer United just changed their name from Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to Blood Cancer United, and I feel like that idea of united was so reflected in the kickoff event. It’s thirty-nine teams, and there was probably someone from every team there,” said McNulty.
Team members were then able to enjoy a round of bowling, laughing, and mingling to build relationships.
Even with the fun-filled fundraising events to come, the team is not losing focus on its main objective of raising awareness for the cause. With the years to come, Team Rangers for a Cure will continue to grow and show the value of a united team of students. Through their efforts, they can bring a real change to those who are in need of it most.
