Owen Edwards, a loan officer in Columbia, South Carolina in the Southeast Region, joined close friend and business partner, Zeke Riddle, to form a powerful fundraising team for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS). Riddle was nominated by the Midlands Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to be the 2019 Man of the Year. As a candidate, Riddle, along with the help of Edwards, raised funds for a world without blood cancers between March 5, 2019-May 16, 2019. Their goal was to raise the most funds for blood cancer research in honor of two local children who are blood cancer survivors.
Owen Edwards held the first event, Tacos, Tequila & Tokyo Joe on May 5, 2019. “The total campaign raised a little over $54,000 for blood cancer research, and since we broke the $50k mark [we were one of only four teams to raise over $50k], we were able to donate a $50k research grant in the name of person we know and my business partner works closely with,” says Owen. “Everyone wins when cancer loses!”
Many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients, but are also now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers, and are in clinical trials for patients with lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. LLS funded drugs like targeted therapies and immunotherapies are now saving thousands of lives every day. “I donated $2,000 personally, Guild Giving donated $250, and the Columbia Main Branch donated $1,000,” says Owen.
“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.” If you would like to donate to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, please visit https://www.lls.org/.