Saturday, June 14, 2025
Three juniors at John F. Kennedy High School in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District are teaming up to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2025 Student Visionary program.
Through a variety of programs, the trio will raise awareness and funds to support critical blood cancer research and enhance patient services.
Paige Seltzer, Emily Kesler and Kayla Indich, all 16, are the leaders of Battle 4 A Cure, and have assembled a team made up of friends and family to support their efforts in this year’s fundraising campaign, which officially kicked off on Feb. 6, and will close on March 27. Through personal asks and community engagement, the girls said they hoped to raise $50,000 over the seven-week campaign.
The Student Visionary program is designed specifically for high school students who want to make a meaningful impact in the fight against blood cancers, empowering them to develop and execute their own fundraising campaigns to support LLS’s mission.
Kesler told the Herald that she was nominated by a former participant last fall to be a Student Visionary for 2025, and asked LLS if any other students were involved in her community. Both Seltzer and Indich were also in the midst of forming a team, so the three of them decided to partner to create an even bigger impact.
All three of the team’s leaders, Kesler said, are very involved in their school community and extracurricular activities.
“There was nothing of this magnitude that has such an impact on people,” she said. “We knew that if we did something like this, we can change the lives of people battling cancer, and I think that’s an incredible cause and we’re so happy to be part of it.”
“I think we wanted to do something bigger than for ourselves,” Indich added, “doing something to help other people.”
Battle 4 A Cure’s fundraising campaign kicked off on Feb. 6, with an ongoing online raffle opening. Prior to the beginning of the campaign, the girls collected hundreds of bags of clothing, which were compiled in front of one of the girl’s home on Feb. 8. Go Green Textile Recycling, an organization that provides the collectors money for each pound of clothing, then picked up the donations.
With help from their friends and family, the team received a plethora of clothing donations from the Bellmore-Merrick community.
“I think it was just a great opportunity for so many people to be involved,” Kesler said. “People got to clean out their closets — like it’s good for you, it’s good for us. They’re doing it for a great cause and people love it.”
Local businesses and organizations in their community also have been supportive, offering gift cards and other giveaways for the team’s online raffle and other upcoming events.
The girls will be hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Kennedy High School on March 1; a Zoom bingo on March 9; an OrangeTheory fundraising fitness class on March 14; a softball clinic at Coleman Country Day Camp on March 16; and a fundraising yoga class on March 23.
The raffle drawing is slated for March 24, and they are also planning to host various “kick back” nights — casual gatherings for fundraising and educational purposes — at local vendors and restaurants throughout the campaign.
Seltzer explained that they’re communicating with the community through different avenues. “We made an Instagram,” she said, “and we posted all of our events. We also sent out letters, and then all of our team members sent out letters and emails — advertising everything and saying what we’re doing.”
Battle 4 A Cure has decided that the money the team raises will go toward patient support.
Working with the Ronald McDonald House Charities, the girls organized a Valentine’s Day card donation with their teammates. The charity operates a home-like facility in New Hyde Park, where it provides support to families with children who are sick or injured, and enduring long hospital stays. The girls dropped off the card donations after the clothing drive on Feb. 8, and will be returning to the home to bake food for its residents during the campaign.
“It’s important to stay involved, and of course we want to raise money,” Kesler said, “but we’re doing it for the patients.”
The team’s mission and campaign goals have been spreading through word of mouth, the girls said, but they are also running an Instagram account and using social media in other capacities to solicit as much support as possible.
Visit Battle4acure_lls on Instagram, or linktr.ee/battle4acure to donate directly to the campaign and to learn how to participate in upcoming fundraising events.
