About Light The Night
At The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night we gather as a community to celebrate, honor, and remember those touched by blood cancers. Friends, families, schools, corporate teams, and sponsors join together to bring light to the darkness of cancer. The funds raised by this community fund lifesaving research, advocacy and support for blood cancer patients and their families. Join us in the fight to cure cancer!
It is highly recommended that all blood cancer patients or other immunocompromised individuals check with their healthcare provider before attending this event. Research conducted by LLS and others has shown that some blood cancer patients do not get optimal protection from COVID-19 vaccination and may continue to have heightened susceptibility to contracting and becoming ill from COVID-19. While at the event, we urge our community to respect anyone’s choice to continue to take precautions like masking or social distancing.
There will also be a virtual event experience provided for any participants who would prefer to not join us in-person, held on November 15, Details to come in emails to all registered participants in early November.
IN-PERSON EVENT
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Location: Forest Park's Cricket Field, 5595 Grand Drive, St. Louis, 63112
Parking: Please park in the UPPER MUNY LOT. A shuttle will be running from 5 pm – 9 pm between the lot and Cricket Field.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
5:00 PM – Festival Activities Begin
7:15 PM – Opening Ceremony
7:30 PM – Walk Begins (immediately after Opening Ceremony)
8:30 PM – Fireworks Show (immediately after walk)
OTHER FAQS
How long is the walk? The walk is approximately one mile.
Will there be food? Yes! Food Trucks will be on-site for food/beverage purchase. We are excited to welcome the following food trucks to this years event: One Dish Wonders, Kalifornia Cuisine, This N' That Eatery, Soul Burgers, St. Louis Kettle Corn & Kona Ice. We encourage all participants to bring lawn chairs and coolers to enjoy the DJ and fireworks. Water will be provided at the Hydration Station.
What if there is weather on event day? The in-person event is rain or shine.
Are dogs allowed? Friendly leashed dogs are welcome.
Can participants turn in donations at the event? The Light The Night walk will only be accepting checks and credit card donations at the walk. Cash will not be accepted on-site. Credit or debit card donations can be made through the mobile app. Please try to donate online through your fundraising page, the app, or the website.
Is the event appropriate for children? Yes! Light The Night is a multi-generational event! The Kids Zone will feature the Bubble Bus, face painting, goody bags, music, and coloring.
How/where can I pick up a lantern? All registered participants receive a lantern to be picked up at the Lantern Tent at the walk.
How do I register? Visit http://lightthenight.org/events/st-louis, or contact David Wettroth at David.wettroth@lls.org.
Do all guests receive a t-shirt? All registered participants who raise $100+ will receive a t-shirt that can be picked up at the walk.
Are there Incentives for reaching fundraising milestones? Yes! There are a ton of fun incentives you can achieve for your fundraising including:
$100 - Become a Champion for a Cure
$1000 - Become a Bright Light
$5,000 - Receive a VIP Table for your team
$10,000 - Earn a 10 x 10 Team Tent in the Top Teams Area
$25,000+ - Earn a 20 x 10 Team Tent in the Top Teams Area
We’re so grateful & excited to have you join us. Together, the St. Louis community will Light The Night for patients, survivors, caregivers, and all those touched by blood cancers.
Your Light The Night Team
We acknowledge some participants might need ADA accommodations. We do our best to provide these accommodations at every location, however, depending on weather and venues, it may be difficult for participants using wheelchairs to move freely around all areas of specific walk sites. If you have questions or need support, please call us at 888-557-7177 in advance to discuss accommodations. Meeting the needs of all participants is very important to the Light The Night experience.
Introducing our 2022 Light The Night Honored Hero
HARPER
In March of 2020, Harper was diagnosed with B Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Two days before Harper’s fourth birthday, in the middle of the pandemic, I received a phone call around 8 pm. Her pediatrician was calling to tell me the results of the labs I insisted be drawn after Harper’s two-week fever. The results noted some abnormal cells in Harper's blood. On March 31st, 2020, Harper had a bone marrow test which confirmed she had B-ALL. After the initial shock set in, our family decided we would always look on the bright side of everything and that is exactly what we did. Our first night in the hospital was a celebration that we have the tools necessary to help Harper get better. That is how we viewed everything, not with anger, but with gratitude she was still here with us and we were able to help her.
In June of 2020, Harper was hospitalized for PJP pneumonia. She was on life support for 7 of the 21 days she was in the PICU. She underwent a 3rd bone marrow biopsy which confirmed her cancer had not come back. This was a relief to say the absolute least. These days spent in the PICU were the hardest times our family has gone through. There were a few instances we thought we might lose Harper. We were more than grateful to be able to return home with her on June 21st and put that chapter of our lives behind us.
The months to follow included the harshest of the chemotherapy treatments she would receive and meant our family did not leave the house unless it was for treatment. We were so thankful when Harper entered maintenance therapy on March 1st, 2021, just 28 days before her 5th birthday. In January 2022, Harper was able to start kindergarten!
Words cannot begin to express how grateful we are to have her with us. We continue to take things as they come to us one day at a time. Throughout Harper's journey, our family has forever been changed in the most positive ways. We know what matters in life and how fragile life is. We no longer sweat the small stuff and enjoy each day we have together. We are undoubtedly stronger and happier than we've ever been.
Please join us at Light The Night and support a cure!
Sincerely,
Harper’s Family
2022 Light The Night Executive Committee
Aaron Fricke - Nothing Bundt Cakes
Allie Dudenhoeffer - Cigna
Andrew Foley - Drive Social Media / Express Chem
Bobby Kaye - Lorenzen Candle Co.
Carol Markway - Markway Strong
Ellen Mannion - Balke Brown Transwestern
Heather Fitzgerald – Walgreens
Holly Ringleb - Janssen Biotech, Inc.
Jeff Marker - RSM US LLP
Melissa Brown
Mike Krenning - UNITS Moving and Portable Storage of St. Louis
Pete Castellano - The Dover Companies
Ryan Hyde - Behr, McCarter, Potter, Neely & Hyde, PC
Sherry Rosenberger - Metropolitan Picture Company
Steve Brown - Frank Leta Automotive
Suzanne Strothkamp - Centene
Virginia Howell - COCA
St. Louis 2022 Light The Night Walk Resources
St. Louis 2022 Retail Partnership Opportunities
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