Students Leah Berey and Harper Clancy are leading a team effort at West Hartford’s Hall High School to support finding a cure for blood cancer.

Courtesy image

By Margot Drummey

Two West Hartford students have, for the past month, been hard at work fundraising to make a difference and at the same time become student visionaries.

Hall sophomores Leah Berey and Harper Clancy have teamed up to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society’s annual Student Visionaries of the Year (SVOY) Program. As team “Stand T.A.L.L,” they are working to raise the most money in the state over the course of their seven week campaign.

The girls’ idea to create their team, Stand T.A.L.L. (Titans Against Leukemia and Lymphoma), began last year in a freshman year science class. Both students had seen firsthand how deeply blood cancer had impacted their own families and communities, and were eager to see change. After participating on her brother, Evan Berey’s, winning 2023 campaign, Leah knew that the Student Visionaries of the Year program was a unique way to make a difference, and began working with Harper to set their team in motion.

Their seven-week campaign kicked off on Feb. 2 and will run until Friday, March 22. Over the fundraising period, participants work to raise money, with all donations contributing to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society’s mission to “cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients in their families.”

The campaign will conclude at Friday’s Student Visionaries of the Year Gala where each team’s donation totals will be revealed. The team with the highest fundraising earnings will be named the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s 2024 Student Visionaries of the Year for Greater Connecticut.

Berey and Clancy are certainly striving to be the highest fundraisers, but have also noted how rewarding the program has been on an educational and philanthropic level alone. They have used corporate sponsorships, program ads, and bake sales to connect with potential donors and have been “really inspired” by the generosity of their community members. Both students are also grateful for the confidence that fundraising for LLS has instilled in them.

“The hardest part is asking,” said Clancy, “so it’s really just the importance of starting that conversation and stepping outside of your comfort zone.”

The girls feel proud of the work they’ve done so far, and will be working diligently to gather as many donations as possible before Friday night’s gala. For more information on Team T.A.L.L’s mission, their team page can be accessed here. You can also find them on Instagram @hall.stand.tall.

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