Sophia Abramovich and Jenna Shvartsshteyn, two sophomores from Hewlett High School, are leading a fundraiser. Commonly known as the Blood Cancer United Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, the seven-week fundraiser began on Feb. 2.
The process began over the summer, when Abramovich and Shvartsshteyn—friends since childhood— agreed to partner up on their team, Hearts for Hope. After a friend familiarized Shvartsshteyn with the visionaries campaign while at summer camp, she knew Abramovich would be a good person to ask for help.
“I knew that she would kind of be the right person for this job,” Shvartsshteyn said. “I knew with her dedication and hard work she’d be good at it.”
The girls met with adviser Clara Leyendecker, the 2017 runner-up who is now a staff worker at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. While working together, Leyendecker, 25, said their passion and desire to be difference makers stand out.
“This program is a lot of extra work,” Leyendecker said. “It’s not something that the average student would sign up for and really go after as aggressively as they have, and as successfully as they have.”
Students are tasked with raising as much money as possible for patient advocacy, research and blood cancer awareness—a personal battle for both girls. Russell Shvartsshteyn, Jenna’s father, is currently battling colon cancer. For Abramovich and her family, they’ve experienced hardships with breast cancer and prostate cancer, as well as melanoma.
To start, the girls orchestrated Super Bowl Boxes for the big game this past Sunday, going door-to-door in the community asking for donations. They’ve also printed T-shirts with their fundraiser QR codes on the back, which they will wear in public places outside of school to raise awareness.
During the process, Leyendecker said that she tries to give the students a hands-on experience, allowing them to build skills that will transfer to a professional setting. She said that many of them tell her that they haven’t written an email, or cold-called someone before.
“My job is to give them all the tools, resources, and support I possibly can,” Leyendecker said. “But they are the ones doing the actual work and receiving that experience and building those skills.”
As part of Hearts for Hope, Abramovich and Shvartsshteyn lead a team of 13 other sophomores and juniors. For the two girls, they said they’ve developed skills that they’ll carry with them beyond high school.
Abramovich said the campaign has helped her develop stronger social skills like leadership, teamwork, and working with others. For Shvartsshteyn, she noted the importance of presenting herself in a professional matter.
“It’s helped me learn how to speak to people,” Shvartsshteyn said. “People may see me as a kid, but I’m doing something much bigger than that.”
Those interested in donating can visit pages.lls.org/svoy/li/svoyli26/TeamSophiaandJenna. The winners of this year’s campaign will be announced at the Student Visionaries of The Year’s Grand Visionary Gala on Mar. 19.
