The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is marking its 75th anniversary with a major milestone. The organization’s annual Light The Night campaign, started in 1993, has raised a cumulative $1 billion toward creating a world without blood cancers.
Light The Night is LLS’s largest community-focused event series, drawing over one million people at 100 evening walks across the U.S. and Canada each fall. Attendees carry colored, illuminated lanterns symbolizing Light The Night’s expansive reach: red for supporters to celebrate the community, white to honor survivors and gold to remember those lost to blood cancers. Funds raised through the campaign support critical research, the development of life-saving treatments and connecting families with financial resources and care. “We bring communities and companies together in this awesome, meaningful way to bring light to the darkness of cancer,” says Tiffany Kirkland, LLS’s interim VP.A vital force behind Light The Night? Executive Challengers. Each year, over 1,700 corporate executives compete to raise the most funds for the blood cancer community—at least $10,000 or more—fueled by their unique connection to the mission.“Executive Challengers are essential to making sure we deliver on our promise to our patients,” Kirkland says. “We can’t do it without them.”Ahead, explore why 2023’s top five Executive Challengers are dedicated to the cause—and their impact.