Cincinnati, Ohio, April 18, 2023–The mission of Saint Ursula Academy is to educate young women to build a better world. Recently, a group of students showed how they were living this mission by raising over $90,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Molly Eppstein ’25, Madeline Lippert ’25, Belle Grubert ’24, and Mia Napier ’24 previously participated in the 2022 LLS “Student Visionaries of the Year” fundraiser and, through attending the end-of-the-year banquet, realized that they wanted to do even more for the 2023 effort. The students named themselves “Team Luminosity.” The name was chosen based on their goal to be a light to those suffering from cancer. And then, the real work began.
For this year’s LLS fundraiser, they recruited 28 team members by hosting a lunch-and-learn information session during a lunch bell at Saint Ursula Academy. This hard-working team came up with a four-pronged approach to fundraising: personal connections, corporate sponsorships, events, and raffles. Each team member wrote letters to friends and family members asking for support by sharing their mission, goals, and personal stories about why they were involved. Next, the group met with several corporations to solicit their support. They also hosted events at local restaurants and breweries where they shared information about LLS, asking patrons to support the effort by purchasing split-the-pot tickets, bidding on raffle items, or making a donation to the cause. Final events included a 5K Run and the Grand Finale event.
Madeline Lippert ’25 from Hyde Park chose to join the leadership team because her family has been personally affected by blood cancer.
“The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has done so much for my family and so many others,” said Madeline. “By being part of this team, I hope I can help support other families through their hardships as well as contribute to the amazing research being done in hopes of finding a cure for this horrible disease.”
Team Captain Mia Napier ’24 of Crescent Springs, KY spearheaded the team efforts in honor or her grandmother, a breast cancer survivor.
“I am honored to have had the opportunity to interact with so many amazing people and hear their stories,” said Mia. “It was because of the hard work from each and every team member that we were able to raise such a large amount of money. Because we were all dedicated to the cause, we were able to support each other during the busy seven weeks allotted for fundraising.”
In the end, Team Luminosity raised $90,208, shattering their original goal of $50,000 and finished second out of 16 teams who competed to see who could raise the largest amount of money. Overall, the combined team effort translated to a grand total of $805,365 donated for blood cancer research.
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PHOTO: Team Luminosity, consisting of Molly Eppstein ’25, Madeline Lippert ’25, Belle Grubert ’24, and Mia Napier ’24, raised $90,208 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society during the seven-week “Student Visionaries of the Year” competition.
Saint Ursula Academy is a dynamic Catholic, college-preparatory, educational community for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. Saint Ursula welcomes students from more than 90 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. SUA earned the Best of Cincinnati Award in the School category in 2021 and 2022 by the Cincinnati Awards Program. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of Saint Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. 92% of the Class of 2022 earned college scholarship offers totaling nearly $24-million.