Statements
Mission
The mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
Background
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) was born out of a family's grief following the death of their teenage son. Robert Roesler de Villiers, son of a well-to-do New York family, was only 16 when he quickly succumbed to leukemia in 1944. Five years later, frustrated by the lack of effective treatments for what was then considered a hopeless disease, parents Rudolph and Antoinette de Villiers started a fundraising and education organization in their son's name. Headquartered in a small Wall Street office, the Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation had only a few volunteers and a tiny budget. The task was daunting. Most leukemia patients, especially children, died within three months. Even by the mid-1950s, when the first-generation chemotherapy drugs began appearing, the disease remained a stubborn challenge. The Foundation reported in its 1955 annual report that 'As of this date, Leukemia is 100% fatal. This is almost a unique situation among the many diseases to which man is susceptible.'Driven by the de Villiers' nearly boundless belief that leukemia and other blood cancers were indeed curable, the Foundation grew steadily, opening its first chapters in the New York City area. The organization, after changing its name to The Leukemia Society, was renamed The Leukemia Society of America in the 1960s to communicate a broad, national reach, then was changed to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in 2000 to reflect its commitment to curing all blood cancers. LLS is proud to be playing a major role in the fight against leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma - developing new initiatives that have strengthened our role as the leading private funder of blood cancer research, and provider of programs for patients and their families. With the help of major fundraising campaigns, including Team In Training, the world's largest endurance sports training program, and Light The Night Walk, LLS has awarded more than $1 billion in research funding since 1954. Some of the therapies first approved for blood cancer patients are now helping patients with different types of cancers and other serious diseases.Our commitment to cutting-edge science has contributed to an unprecedented rise in survival rates for some people with blood cancers. The relative five-year survival rate for people with leukemia, for example, nearly quadrupled in the past 48 years. And Hodgkin lymphoma is now considered one of the most curable forms of cancer, thanks to radiation and chemotherapy. Today, the Society has chapters across the US and in Canada. Our focus is our patients and their families, and we provide a wide array of services on the phone, on-line, and in the community. In Tennessee, we currently offer 9 family support groups facilitated by volunteers with oncology backgrounds. Our First Connection program matches newly diagnosed patients with trained peer volunteers who have survived a similar diagnosis. Finally, we offer many patient education programs throughout the year to educate and support our patients and their family members. Funding for research and patient aid are raised locally through our fundraising campaigns. Team In Training is the largest sports endurance training program in the world, and trains participants to successfully complete a marathon, triathlon or cycle event. We provide coaching, team trainings, clinics, race entry and support, and in return, participants raise money for our mission. Light The Night is our annual family-friendly walk that celebrates and commemorates those lives touched by cancer. Participants carry lighted balloons and raise money for the mission through family and corporate teams. Our Pennies for Patients program encourages school-age children to collect spare change; age-appropriate educational materials and videos are provided to teachers to share with their classrooms. Finally, our Man & Woman of the Year campaign encourages local community leaders to raise funds during a 10-week friendly fundraising competition each spring.
Impact
An estimated 1,290,773 people in the US are living with, or are in remission from a blood cancer: leukemia, myeloma, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Every four minutes, one person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer. And every 10 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a blood cancer. Leukemia is the second leading cause of cancer death among children, adolescents and young adults younger than 20 years. More males than females are diagnosed with leukemia and die of leukemia. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society exists to find cures and ensure access to the best available treatments for blood cancer patients. We are saving lives - not just someday, but today.
Needs
1. To Grow Awareness: We want to make sure every blood cancer patient in the state knows about us and our services. 2. Volunteers: We need people to serve on our Board and our committees and to participate in our events. 3. Funds: We seek donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to fund critical research and patient services programs. 4. In-Kind donations: This could be in the form of donated printing, PR, supplies, furniture, etc.
CEO Statement
I am proud to work for an organization that keeps mission at the forefront of everything we do. We are excellent stewards of a donor's money; approximately 75% of funds spent are directed back towards our mission. To our patients, we offer a comprehensive array of services and support. Perhaps more importantly, our aggressive investments in research offer hope for a cure, and certainly offer hope for an improved quality of life while we are working towards the cure. To our community volunteers, we offer several meaningful and fun ways to partner with us to raise critical funds. From running or walking a marathon to collecting pennies in classrooms to carrying lighted balloons in a family-friendly walk, there is an opportunity for anyone to get involved and support our mission.
Board Chair Statement
The combination of new genomic technology, an even deeper understanding of the biology of cancer, and the output of new drugs from the pharmaceutical industry makes this an extremely exciting time in the field of cancer research and treatment.We saw remarkable progress in treatments for patients with myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and Hodgkin lymphomas in FY 2018, and emerging approaches to immunotherapy and precision medicine continue to show great promise. We entered into new partnerships with biotechnology companies advancing promising new therapies for blood cancer patients, and we played an integral role in supporting Vice President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot. LLS is uniquely positioned to head the charge to find cures and ensure access to treatments for patients with blood cancers. None of this would be possible without the tens of thousands of volunteers across the country who work every day for patients. It's never been truer - we are a volunteer led, staff driven organization. And we are laser-focused on growth to drive revenue to fuel our mission. Along with passionate individual and corporate donors, our fundraising campaigns are the driving force moving our mission forward. We support breakthrough research and impactful policy initiatives, and provide meaningful patient support and education. LLS is better equipped than ever to make someday today for the 1.2 million people in the United States living with, or in remission from, a blood cancer. Despite our progress, we still have much work to do to find cures and help patients access lifesaving treatments. With continued support from our friends, donors and volunteers, we will continue to move closer to cures - changing the landscape of cancer forever.
Service Categories |
|
| Primary Category: | Diseases, Disorders & Medical Disciplines - Cancer |
| Secondary Category: | Health Care - Alliances & Advocacy |
| Tertiary Category: | Medical Research - Specifically Named Diseases Research |
Areas Served
The Tennessee Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society provides services to every county in the state of Tennessee and holds monthly support groups in the four main metropolitan areas of Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga as well as Johnson City.
| TN |
| TN - Bedford |
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Clay |
| TN - Coffee |
| TN - Cumberland |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - DeKalb |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Fentress |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Giles |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Houston |
| TN - Humphreys |
| TN - Jackson |
| TN - Lawrence |
| TN - Lewis |
| TN - Lincoln |
| TN - Macon |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Moore |
| TN - Overton |
| TN - Perry |
| TN - Pickett |
| TN - Putnam |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Stewart |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Trousdale |
| TN - Van Buren |
| TN - Warren |
| TN - Wayne |
| TN - White |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
