VISIONARies OF THE YEAR (FORMERLY Man & Woman of the Year)

YEARS 2019-2023

$841,810.02 TOTAL RAISED

The Visionary of the Year (VOY) campaign is a philanthropic competition in communities across the United States, during which dynamic, passionate candidates compete to earn The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Visionary of the Year title. Candidates and team members raise funds for LLS in honor of local children who are blood cancer survivors, the Honored Heroes. The titles are awarded to the visionary in each community who raises the most funds during the 10-week campaign; the top fundraisers in the country earn the national titles. The campaign begins with a kick-off party and culminates with a campaign Grand Finale.

Learn more about our Man and Woman of the Year candidates:

2023 Candidate: Annette Tanori

Annette was the 2023 BeePositve from Coast to Coast candidate and was named Runner-Up Visionary of the Year. She and her team raised $136,341.12 during the short ten-week campaign.

Annette Tanori is a Senior Operations Manager at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), where she helps guide strategy related to SVB's global real estate portfolio. In addition to her professional endeavors, Annette is very passionate about higher education and is an adjunct faculty member in economics for several colleges and universities. She also is committed to giving back to the Phoenix community and serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.

Why I'm running:

In 2018, I said goodbye too soon to friends with leukemia, Brandi Hunt and Andrea Borg. Seeing their battles with ALL and AML made it clear that more needs to be done to find a cure for cancer. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's dedication to research and patient advocacy is leading the way in working to find an end to all cancers. My Visionary of the Year campaign is dedicated to their memory and honor.

2022 Candidate: Lindsey Schwartz

Lindsey was the 2022 BeePositve candidate and was crowned Woman of the Year on May 14, 2022. She and her team raised $246,188.80 during the short ten-week campaign.

Lindsey Schwartz is an entrepreneur, author, and the founder of Powerhouse Women, a global community of ambitious women built on the motto that we're not meant to do business (or life) alone. Fiercely committed to supporting other women, Lindsey invests her time in mentoring women and girls of all ages—from high achieving entrepreneurs to high school students.

In 2020, Lindsey supported her godmother through her battle with colon cancer and was amazed by the available treatments which ultimately led to her godmother’s full recovery. Inspired by her godmother and the treatment options that were, in Lindsey’s words “made possible because of people I’ve never met funding research that I’ll probably never know about,” Lindsey is honored to join the fight to cure cancer with team BeePositive in memory of a fellow Powerhouse Woman, Brandi Hunt.

Why I'm running:

This past year, I supported my godmother through treatment for colon cancer and was amazed by what treatments were available, thanks to people who I never met funding research that I’ll probably never know about. I'm honored to play a small role in funding that kind of research for other families and the brave individuals battling cancer.

2021 Candidate & Woman of the Year: Sara Mayer

Sara was the 2021 BeePositve candidate and was crowned Woman of the Year on May 22, 2021. She and her team raised $178,839.08 during the short ten-week campaign and set a new record for the most team members (61 members) LLS has ever had.

Sara ran in memory of her brother Michael and friend Brandi Hunt.

SARA'S WHY IN HER OWN WORDS

Eighteen years ago June 8th my world was crushed. My brother had been battling Leukemia since November of 1999. He was young, only 20, healthy, and ready for a fight. On this day in 2000, I received that call that changed everything. After eight months of treatment and isolation, he lost his battle with Leukemia due to complications with the treatment. That day also happened to be my dad's birthday, a day supposed to be for celebration. However, it will never be a day of celebration again.

Years later around the same time as my brother's passing, my dear friend Brandi was diagnosed with Leukemia. I had yet another call I will never forget. I was completely shocked, we just ran a 10K and half marathon together, and she is active and healthy. I would never have thought this could happen. She had a very different treatment plan due to the advances made, many funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, however, this plan involves 3 years of chemo. On May 23rd, as I sat in the LLS Board meeting, I received another call that changed my world. Brandi Smith Hunt had also lost her 2 year battle with blood cancer.

2020 candidate and Man of the Year: Dr. Tony Lee
Tony was the 2020 BeePositve candidate and was crowned Man of the Year on June 27, 2020. He and his team raised $272,416.50 during the short ten-week campaign, setting a new record for the amount an Arizona candidate has ever raised.

Tony is ran in honor of his daughter, Sophie, this is their story from Tony’s perspective.

Fact is, most of us know someone who has been affected by some form of cancer. Sadly, cancer is the leading disease killer among children. When Sophie was unexpectedly diagnosed at the age of five with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a precursor for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), this fact became all too real for my family. Among the four types of leukemia, AML has the lowest survival rate. The only treatment option we had available to save our child was a bone marrow transplant.

After searching for a bone marrow match to no avail, we decided to move forward with a stem cell transplant. Sophie had to leave kindergarten, brave highly invasive procedures, survive unexpected complications and endure intense rounds of chemotherapy, with its own set of complications for even the strongest. Thankfully, three years later, Sophie is doing exceptionally well, and we are finally seeing that beautiful smile of hers again.

Why do I support LLS? Research funded by LLS crosses over and helps all forms of cancer, including the one that almost took Sophie. In addition, during Sophie’s hospital stay, which was over 100 days, we spent time with families who were also battling for their child’s survival. Many struggled financially on top of enduring the emotional stress of caring for their sick child. LLS provides a great deal of assistance to families. For example, in 2016, LLS provided $1.9 million in direct financial aid assistance to families in Arizona alone.

2019 candidate: Devin Del Palacio
Devin ran as the BeePositive MOWY Candidate in 2019. A native Arizonan, family man, and Vice President of the Tolleson Union High School Board, Devin was honored to have run for Man of the Year.

He ran in honor of his friend Andrea Borg, whom he met through Valley Leadership when they were both members of Class 39. Andrea unfortunately lost her battle to leukemia in December 2018. Andrea was a wonderful woman who was full of energy and gave wholeheartedly to the community. Devin particularly admired her long-time support of the Girl Scouts and service on the local council’s Board of Directors. The 2019 campaign saw Devin team up with other Valley Leadership classmates (including Annette Tanori and Jen Ward) and other friends to form the inaugural, MOWY, BeePostive Team. 

Big Climb
Year 2020
$355.86 total raised

No matter where you live, no matter what your connection to cancer may be, participating in the Big Climb is a way to step up to take cancer down. The Big Climb is your chance to stay fit, connect with others across the nation and lead us to a world free of cancer. The 2020 team participated in the Big Climb virtually, climbing at home or in our neighborhoods.

Light the Night
Years 2017-2022
$90,954.62 total raised

The goal of Light The Night is to bring light to the darkness of cancer through research and cures. Light The Night is a series of fundraising campaigns benefiting LLS that usually culminates in inspirational evening walks held across the U.S. and Canada, walking to end cancer. Approximately 1 million people join the walk to celebrate, honor and remember those touched by cancer.

Brandi was named the Memorial Hero for the Light the Night event in 2018 and her family and friends formed teams. Teams included many of the groups Brandi has been involved with over the years: Alpha Phi Fraternity, The Children's Museum of Phoenix, Junior League of Phoenix, Valley Leadership, and the Free Spirit 5K. 

The 2020 Light The Night walk in Arizona was held virtually, raising over $11,000. The 2021 walk was in person raising $10,000.