Over
the past few months, Ft. Thomas native Jamie Baker was actively
campaigning for The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS)
Woman
of the Year title. Baker's campaign consisted of fundraising events
throughout the area, and she also collected donations through her
page on the LLS website. After being featured in a Street Class article back in February, many of our readers were interested in Baker's fundraising
efforts. I'm happy to report that Baker raised an astonishing $90,365
between March 21, 2014 and May 30, 2014.
Out
of the 13 candidates who competed in the fundraising campaign, a
total of $544,000 was raised for LLS. Baker's fundraising total
wasn't far behind this year's winner, who brought in $114,000.
Although Baker fell short of being named the Woman of the Year, she
certainly
should be proud of her campaign.
During
the course of the campaign, Baker had many memorable experiences. Two
stick out to her in particular: the naming of a grant and working a
booth at The Taste of Cincinnati. According to Baker, any candidate
who raises over $50,000 is allowed the opportunity to name an LLS
funded grant themselves. Baker
didn't have to look far to decide on a name for her grant. She chose
to use it as an opportunity to honor two family members. “I
will be naming it The Dixie and Denny Johnson Memorial Grant, after
my Grandma Johnson who passed from lymphoma and my mom’s
oldest brother Denny who passed as a young child from leukemia in the
1940s,” said
Baker.
Another
memorable experience for Baker was spending a weekend working for tip
money at a beer booth during The Taste of Cincinnati. Baker's weekend
slinging drinks
for a good cause not only helped her campaign overall, but also
provided her with the extra
boost
she needed to complete the campaign. “I
had a sign on the back of my shirt that told people I had beaten
cancer and encouraged tips to benefit LLS. This prompted many people
to come up to me and give me a high five, fist bump or even ask for a
hug as they congratulated me, thanked me for raising money or told me
that they also were a survivor. Given that this fundraiser was in the
last week of my 10 week campaign, their show of gratitude gave me new
energy to finish out the campaign strong,” said
Baker.
Baker
had so many
great
experiences throughout the campaign that
she
found it difficult to pinpoint a favorite fundraising event. “I
really loved them all and my team worked so hard to plan each one.
They each had their own atmosphere and different group of wonderful
people in attendance. I will say I had a lot of fun guest bartending
at Newberry’s Coffee and Bistro in Newport with McKenzie Hicks,
fellow Ft. Thomas native cancer survivor. We were both pretty nervous
at first but got the hang of it quickly and had a lot of fun,” said
Baker.
The
campaign also provided Baker with an opportunity to hear other
inspirational stories and meet new people. The overwhelming support
of friends, family, local businesses, and even strangers is something
that Baker will carry with her for years to come. “I signed up for
this campaign because I wanted to help cure cancer and raise
awareness around the value of research dollars today, not someday,”
said Baker. “The support of family, friends, co-workers and amazing
support of Ft. Thomas businesses, in particular, made this campaign a
success. I am grateful for everyone’s support and encouragement
along the way. These dollars are going to make a difference in the
fight against cancer.”
In
addition to the many friends, family, co-workers, and strangers who
donated to Baker's campaign, she had support from many local
businesses. Fort Thomas showed once again how generous our community
can be, especially when it's for a cause as important as cancer
research. Baker is quick to thank some of the local businesses who
helped make her campaign a success by donating goods or services for
auction. “Many thanks to the Ft. Thomas businesses that supported
the campaign: Becky Hicks/esbe Jewelry Design, Bowman Framing, Carly
Leopold/Origami Owl, DB SoundCo, Fit Philosophie, Ft. Thomas Central,
Ft. Thomas Family Dentistry/Dr. Hekmatayr, Ft. Thomas Florist, Ft.
Thomas Matters, Jewels on the Avenue, Love Letters Gifts, Salon 602,
Shari’s on the Avenue, Starbucks, The Blue Marble, The Olde Fort
Pub,” said Baker. She also secured sponsorships from distinguished
local companies including The Johnson Electric Supply Company, GE
Aviation, WIC Inc, Kinetic Design Group, Benjamin Yocum & Heather
LLC, and Cut It Up Hair and Nail Salon.
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