Local woman takes one of two top honors in leukemia fund raiser By REBECCA LESTNER Special to the Blade-News
Led by two blood cancer survivors, Bowie resident Chartese Burnett of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club, and Washington, D.C. resident Jim Galvanek of Gensler, 16 local professionals raised more than $785,000 during the 10-week campaign to benefit the National Capital Area Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The 2008 Man and Woman of the Year Campaign presented by Accenture in association with Land Rover America's Polo Cup has an expansive title as well as a history of excellence, but its mission is simple: raise money to find a cure for blood cancers and to improve the lives of patients and families in just 10 weeks.
The elegant grand finale gala, held recently at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., marked the finish of a fund-raising competition that launched April 10 and highlighted the extraordinary achievements of its 16 candidates, who were cheered on by more than 400 family members, friends, campaign teams and supporters.
"The efforts of our 16 candidates are even more extraordinary when you consider the fact that none of them are professional fund-raisers and all have successfully juggled demanding careers and personal lives in order to raise money for LLS's mission," said Donna McKelvey, executive director of the National Capital Area Chapter. "What makes tonight's results even more noteworthy is the fact that our Man and Woman of the Year winners are blood cancer survivors. Both Chartese and Jim, in their cancer journey and their dedication toward finding a cure, are an inspiration to us all."
And, as a first for the campaign, all three top male candidates raised more than $100,000. They are: 2008 Man of the Year, Jim Galvanek; first runner-up Dan Cole of Consumer Electronics Association; and second runner-up, Scott Newman of Edison Worldwide.
The three top female candidates are: 2008 Woman of the Year, Chartese Burnett; first runner-up Andrea Van Dell of LEX on Demand; and second runner-up, Lindsey Threlkeld of Accenture.
"Over the past two months, I've had the chance to get to know all 16 candidates and I couldn't be more impressed by the energy and commitment displayed by all," said Ken Dineen, cancer survivor, campaign co-chairman and partner with Accenture, the campaign's presenting sponsor. "And although their efforts over the past 10 weeks came to a close tonight, rest assured that your work will last much longer as the money they raised is put toward life-saving research, patient education programs and advocacy efforts."
New for the 2008 gala are three Citizenship Awards acknowledging candidates who have significantly advanced the efforts to cure blood cancers by making exemplary contributions throughout their campaign. The campaign's Leadership Team and peers reviewed each nomination and voted for the person who exemplified creativity, passion outreach and leadership throughout the 10 weeks. The Boy & Girl of the Year Mission Award was presented to Galvanek, a 10-year leukemia survivor who reached thousands through grassroots e-mails, letters, events and articles. The Hogan & Hartson Volunteerism Award resulted in a tie between Jackie Montgomery and Dan Cole who both tirelessly persevered to create a huge network of volunteers fighting for the cause. The Coray Gurnitz Community Involvement award was presented to Mark Colaco, whose creation of a "Quilt of Hope" exemplified the true meaning of community involvement.
The evening included live and silent auctions, a seated dinner and dancing. In addition, the Adeler Jewelers Jewel in the Box auction kept guests bidding on mystery boxes placed at their tables. At the end of the evening, the highest bidders at each of the tables were directed to open their mystery boxes, in unison, to reveal either a beautiful loose gemstone and a gift certificate to Adeler Jewelers or the grand prize jewel, a custom-designed necklace valued at $6,200.
The program was co-emceed by WMZQ Morning Host Brian Egan and WJLA News Anchor Alison Starling. The 2008 campaign was co-chaired by Dineen and Allison Gurnitz of Coray Gurnitz Consulting and honored two young cancer survivors, 8-year-old Hunter Ruderman and 7-year-old Hannah McNeal, the 2008 Boy & Girl of the Year.
The Man and Woman of the Year Campaign is a fund-raising competition organized by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Every year hundreds of candidates compete locally for the title in more than 44 cities nationwide, raising money for the Society over a 10-week period. Money raised will benefit the Society's mission, to cure blood cancers and to improve the lives of patients and their families.
