It’s National Volunteer Week, and I want to thank all our LLS volunteers for the time, energy, and commitment you give to our organization in service of blood cancer patients and their families. Through your many acts of kindness, compassion, and generosity, you are helping patients live longer, better lives. All of us at LLS are so grateful for you—all year long.
Before becoming LLS President and CEO, I was a volunteer myself for 18 years. And now it is my honor to lead this organization and partner with you as we work toward LLS’s Bold Goal—that by 2040 we will enable patients with blood cancer to gain more than one million years of life. Together, united in mission and in action, I have no doubt that we will get there.
One thank you message hardly seems enough to express the deep appreciation that I have for all you do. So, I also recorded this personal thank you video. And I’m sharing below it five more reasons why I’m grateful to you, our valued volunteers.
1. You are the heart, soul, and voice of the LLS community.
Not only do you help patients and their families feel seen, heard, and connected, you are elevating and expanding awareness of LLS’s mission in your community and beyond. Maybe you’ve participated in a peer-to-peer campaign like Light The Night, Visionaries of the Year or Student Visionaries of the Year, or in one or more of our athletic events. You might serve as a patient support or community outreach volunteer, or as a national board member or regional board of trustee, touching lives in so many ways. Maybe you raise your voice for patients and families as a volunteer advocate or Dare to Dream Ambassador. Or perhaps you’ve been an LLS intern or provided general office or project support to one of our regions—or helped out in any number of other ways. No matter what your role, LLS could not do its lifesaving work without you.
2. You are driving groundbreaking progress for patients and families.
LLS was founded by volunteers, and for more than 75 years, volunteers like you have been critical in helping us fund $1.8 Billion in research for game changing treatments. Your efforts also help us provide free education and services to thousands of patients and families annually, and advance landmark new policies enabling patients to access innovative care. Together, we’ve driven extraordinary progress for patients. And we’re only just beginning!
3. You are helping us reach our Bold Goal.
LLS is in a unique position to see clearly how far we’ve come, how far we have yet to go, and how we can get there faster. That’s the reason for our bold goal. With your help we know we will accelerate the current pace of discovery, expand patient resources, and improve access to care—beyond what we’ve already achieved together. We will add, in aggregate, more than one million years of life by 2040. That means more birthdays, more celebrations, more cherished memories with family and friends.
4. You go above and beyond for our mission.
I know each of you has your own reason for getting involved with our organization, just as I became an LLS volunteer after my wife Holly was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in 2007. Whatever your motivation or personal connection, it’s the fuel that powers you and drives progress for patients. I feel it when I meet longstanding volunteers, always up for the next campaign; or new volunteers, who have barely finished one LLS event, and are signing up for another. And then, there are the families grieving the loss of a loved one, yet willing to tell their stories over and over to help drive change for others. It’s that generosity of heart and spirit that make LLS volunteers so special, and so valued.
5. You inspire me, and others.
Your dedication to making a difference for blood cancer patients and their families is the spark that drives me and all of us at LLS to do more…to go further. You are igniting a sense of purpose in your networks and community too. One of the best parts of working for LLS is meeting you at our events across the nation. I’ve been able to greet so many of you at regional receptions, galas, and Visionaries grand finales. I’ve been honored to lift my Light The Night lantern with you, or walk the halls of Congress together on Lobby Days as we advocate for policies that improve access to care. I’ve conquered Big Climb alongside many of you, and as I get ready for America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe in June, I’ve joined training rides with LLS volunteers from coast to coast. LLS’s Executive Leadership Team is inspired by you too! Our Chief Financial Officer J.R. Miller will scale Machu Pichu in June’s Climb2Cure and Chief Medical Officer Gwen Nichols will be pedaling with LLS volunteers in July’s Scenic Shore Bike Tour. And talk about inspirational, this year’s LLS National Volunteer Awardees—Luz Gomez, Sarah Carrasco, and Amy Nesbit—are driving transformational impact, and you can read more about them in the box below.
Thank you all for rallying around the LLS mission. We celebrate you and we’re grateful for you. Together we’re changing the lives of blood cancer patients and their families every day. I can’t wait to see what else we will achieve, united in action, as we make strides toward our bold goal.
Congratulations to LLS 2025 National Volunteer Award Winners!
Every year LLS presents three national volunteer awards, chosen from nominations across regions. This year we are honoring these remarkable volunteers.
Luz Gomez, Chicago, IL
LLS President’s Award
As a long-time community health worker, Luz has partnered with LLS’s Patient Community and Outreach team to significantly expand the reach of educational programs for the Spanish-speaking community in Chicago. Her work goes beyond simply distributing LLS information. She focuses on building genuine connections, and educating hundreds of patients, families, and healthcare professionals about various blood cancers and available resources. Every program, every conversation, every moment of connection is an opportunity to create change and hope. Luz doesn’t just work for her community, she is a fundamental part of it, building bridges of understanding, health, and well-being.
Sarah Carrasco, Denver, CO
DeVilliers Family Legacy Award
As a 2024 Visionary of the Year candidate, Sarah was fueled by her grandfather’s, aunt’s, and uncle’s experiences with blood cancer. She recruited 40 team members, engaged her Johnson & Johnson colleagues nationwide, leveraged connections with healthcare companies to secure multiple sponsorships, and organized numerous events, including running a 50+ mile ultra marathon. These efforts earned her the title of Denver Visionary of the Year and landed her in the campaign’s top five fundraisers nationally. Sarah currently serves on the Denver Visionaries of the Year Leadership Committee and will co-chair in fiscal year 2026 and 2027.
Amy Nesbit, Blain, PA
Quality of Life Award
Amy’s son William passed away from a rare subtype of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) just before his 13th birthday. She says that LLS was the support system she didn’t know she would need, and that without funding from LLS, the clinical trial that gave William a few additional months with his family would not have been possible. Today, Amy is a Dare To Dream ambassador, working with her state senators to champion the bipartisan Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act (AKACA), and sharing her story at congressional sessions, as well as at LLS events like Light the Night, Visionaries and Student Visionaries of the Year, and Big Climb Philly.
READ MORE ABOUT OUR NATIONAL VOLUNTEER AWARDEES HERE
About the author
E. Anders Kolb, M.D., a world-renowned pediatric hematologist oncologist and researcher, is president and chief executive officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a global leader in the fight against cancer.
Dr. Kolb has devoted his life's work to caring for children with pediatric blood cancer and conducting research to find cures. Before joining LLS, he spent 15 years at Nemours Children's Health, where he built the Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program and most recently served as chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, Director of the Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders, and Vice Chairman for Research in the Department of Pediatrics at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.
Dr. Kolb has authored or co-authored more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals and received numerous awards.
