Sunday, April 20, 2025
Teens across Long Island are taking part in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2025 Student Visionary campaign, working to raise money and awareness for those dealing with blood cancer.
Among the many fundraising teams in this year’s campaign is Colts for a Cure, based in Bellmore-Merrick, and led by Stefanie Alonso, Mollie Schwinger and Bianca Mayo. Alonso and Schwinger are both juniors at Bellmore-Merrick’s Calhoun High School, and Mayo attends Mepham High School.
The Student Visionary program is designed 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. Through a variety of programs, Colts for a Cure will help raise awareness and funds to support critical blood cancer research and enhance patient services.
Schwinger said that a friend of hers took part in the program last year, and suggested she form a team for the 2025 campaign. Connecting with her friends, Alonso and Mayo, the trio created Colts for a Cause. The team leaders signed on to take part in the campaign last fall and began compiling team members — families and friends — to support them in their efforts.
LLS’s campaign officially kicked off Feb. 6 and will last through March 27.
All three girls have a personal connection to cancer, which was among the reasons each of them decided to take part in this year’s campaign.
“When Mollie asked me if I wanted to help out, I thought that this was just a great cause,” Alonso said, adding that her mom had previously dealt with breast cancer, a big motivating factor for her.
“My grandfather had pancreatic cancer,” Schwinger said, “and he unfortunately passed away a couple years ago. I thought it was great because we’re raising money towards helping families get treatments, so that no other families have to go through that.”
“What motivated me,” Mayo added, “is that recently both my grandpa and godmother were diagnosed with leukemia. (The money raised) is going directly to fund for more treatments and cures. I felt like if I could contribute to that, and not have anyone else go through this, it will also help (my family members) and their health, and they won’t have to go through this as well.”
The trio kicked off their fundraising efforts by selling Super Bowl boxes, and they have hosted various fundraisers at restaurants in the Bellmore-Merrick area that donate a portion of sales toward the LLS campaign.
Working with Go Green Clothing Recycling, the girls collected donated clothing that was picked up on March 8. Go Green donates money per-pound of clothing to fundraisers in the Long Island area.
Schwinger added that the girls are planning a fundraising night at Garden Social in East Meadow toward the end of March, although a specific date has not yet been set. The event will feature raffles from local restaurants and stores, along with other opportunities for the community to contribute to the LLS campaign.
As part of their efforts, the girls had to choose a mission pillar to support, which includes patient support, research and advocacy. Colts for a Cure chose research.
“I think research is very important,” Alonso said, “because there’s really no cure if you don’t have the research to find that cure. And all of our funds go towards research for blood cancer.”
“I feel like the research really stuck out for because everyone here has gone through some sort of cancer, and there’s going to be no way to eliminate that from people’s lives without the funding to find cures or treatments,” Mayo added. “There’s been numerous treatments that have come out recently that LLS posted online, and I feel like our funds and donations go directly to that, so it’s nice to see it.”
The girls have advertised their efforts in their school communities, collaborating with clubs in their high schools to spread the word. They are also documenting their campaign, future programming, and their successes on Instagram on the page @ColtsForACure.LLS. To learn more about their efforts and donate directly, visit Events.LLS.org/LI/svoyli25/tmolliebia.
