Trinity Christian School students Sam Yancey and Riley Snipes have high aspirations of raising $15,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and they are asking for the community’s help.

Tenth graders, Yancey and Snipes were chosen to represent Statesboro in the seven-week fund raising event after an application process. This is the first time Statesboro students have taken part in Society’s fund raising event, and most of the other students participating are from Savannah, Hilton Head and Effingham County.

“I wanted to do this for my 80-year-old great-grandmother,” Yancey said. “She has leukemia.”

With a smile, Yancey added, “I didn’t want to participate by myself, so I dragged Riley into it.”

Her friend Riley agreed with the coercion statement, but then added seriously, “Basically I started just to help her, but then my mom showed me people that I know who have leukemia. That made it personal.”

The pair has sent letters to family and friends asking for donations and approached some businesses, too. They are also employing the act of “flocking.”

“It’s the pink flamingoes that we put up at a business, and then they make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,” Yancey said. “The person that pays then gets to decide where the flamingoes should go next.”

Fund raising co-candidates Yancey and Snipes are competing against other students to raise the most money for the charity, and the student or students that raise the most money earn the title Student(s) of the Year and receive a scholarship for their efforts.

Soon after beginning the fund raising, Trinity students learned of another leukemia diagnosis.

“We found after doing this that a school family member was diagnosed,” Yancey saif. “That made it hit close to home, too.”

To donate to Yancey’s and Snipes’ team and help them reach their goal, go to https://tinyurl.com/soydreamteam or drop off a check by April 11, made payable to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, at the Edenfield, Cox, Bruce & Edenfield law firm located at 115 Savannah Avenue.