Menomonee Falls schools lead the state in funds raised for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Menomonee Falls, Wis. (May 10, 2010)-North Middle School in Menomonee Falls was the top fundraiser statewide in the 2010 Pennies for Patients program, a cancer education program and fundraiser to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The school raised $5,747.81 this year, a remarkable $2,413.14 higher than the previous year’s fundraising total which had earned them eighth place in state.

Menomonee Falls High School snagged the seventh place spot raising $3,637.69. The school did not qualify for the top ten last year. Pennies for Patients gives students an opportunity to help other children who have been diagnosed with cancer. The coins students collect fund life-saving research and support local patient services.

This year more than 295,000 students from 505 schools in Wisconsin donated $328,000 to blood cancer research and local patient aid programs. Nationally, 25,000 schools raised more than $19 million.

The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. More than 12,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year – equivalent to two classrooms of children each day. This disease will claim the lives of nearly 2,000 of these children every year. Since 1994, more than 10 million elementary, middle and high schools across the nation have raised over $120 million.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 68 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $600 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, LLS made 5.1 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.

For more information about blood cancer, visit www.LLS.org or call the LLS Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

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If you would like more information about this topic please contact Brooke Sahlstrom by phone at (262) 785-4224 or by e-mail at brooke.sahlstrom@lls.org.