Members of Team CoUREage 6.0 were center stage at the Grand Finale for the “Student Visionaries of the Year” celebration at the Sharonville Convention Center on March Friday, March 14.

Loveland, Ohio – Macy Steiner, Payton Brown, and Caitlyn Ferrer led a record-setting campaign, raising a total of $244,000 in just seven weeks, setting the record in Ohio to help put an end to blood cancer.

While the duration of their campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) was only seven weeks, these three women have had large amounts of dedication to get their Team CoUREage 6.0 together, gaining volunteers, setting up give-back nights, yard sales, online auctions, and much more.

Through finishing and helping to lead the campaign, Payton Brown said she realized the extent to which a community can make in helping fight a disease. A large group of teenagers was able to raise almost a quarter of a million dollars, all due to true inspiration and passion. For Brown, the campaign has been extremely rewarding by being able to meet people who have suffered or have someone in their family who has suffered, and it influenced her exponentially throughout the seven weeks. By gaining knowledge of real accounts of leukemia, Brown’s motivation for fundraising has increased.

Brown elaborated, “This campaign has truly made a difference in my life. Seeing the change that a group of teenagers can make in a community and seeing the awareness that we can bring to this cause is inspiring. All three of us worked as hard as we can to make sure that this campaign was as successful as possible. Through this, we have made new friends, listened to stories from all different kinds of people, and been given the opportunity to make a true difference. I have learned so much throughout this process and I am so thankful for everything I am able to take away from it, as well as proud of everything we have been able to accomplish in the short 7 weeks we were given.”

Caitlyn Ferrer noted how glad she was to be able to make a difference to the harsh effects of leukemia. For her, being aware of how her efforts to fundraise were able to help find a cure for Leukemia and save lives is, “absolutely mind-blowing.” Being able to see the impact in the form of numbers that Cincinnati contributed allowed her to sincerely believe that her hard work had an impact.

Ferrer, along with her other two teammates, understands now how important and sometimes vital it is to ask for help.

With Team CoUREage 6.0’s campaign just having ended with a Grand Finale at the Sharonville Convention Center where all the area teams joined to celebrate each other, Macy Steiner said she has felt the effects of the rewarding experience she’s had while leading Team CoUREage 6.0. With close ties to cancer herself, Steiner felt that it was, “truly incredible to know that she helped give cancer patients and families hope.” Throughout the campaign, Steiner listened to numerous stories of cancer, inspiring her to reach out to anybody to fundraise as much as she could. Steiner now understands that a vibrant community, teamwork, and diligence are all that is needed to bring about large-scale changes.

Macy elaborated by saying, “Fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society during the 7-week campaign was a very rewarding experience. Our community has been heavily affected by cancer, and I also lost my grandpa to cancer. Knowing this, it is incredible to know that I helped give cancer patients and families hope, that eventually, we will find a cure. Throughout the 7-week campaign, I listened to countless stories of how cancer has affected people’s lives, and this ultimately inspired me to fight harder to raise as much money as possible for cancer research. Knowing that this money we raised could eventually lead to breakthroughs in treatments made every minute worth it. I learned countless life lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. A huge lesson I learned is that community connection is a crucial part of success, and big things can’t happen without a supportive community. I have no doubt that we have the most supportive community anyone could ask for. The way that our friends, family, school district, and community all came together to support our efforts shows the importance of this cause. Overall, I learned that working as a team, being humble, and diligence are the only true ways to make a difference.

Loveland Middle School teacher Katie Rose has been on the Leadership Team for LLS since 2018 and was the Co-Chair of the campaign this year with her brother, Chris Greulich. She mentors the team and helps choose the Visionaries each year. She is so involved because she lost her aunt to blood cancer 6 years ago.

Rose said, “It is my honor to mentor so many amazing young people through their Student Visionary of the Year candidacy. This campaign teaches them real-world skills while doing such important work for others. The Loveland schools’ and community support is demonstrated in all of the best ways. I’m so proud of this team.”

Jennifer Steiner is team leader Macey’s mom. She said, “Having been a parent of a Student Visionary in 2023, Emma Steiner, I was prepared and knew what to expect from the seven-week LLS campaign. I was happy to offer my advice and guidance to the team, and it was so rewarding to see them soar. The skills they learned will help them throughout their lives.”

A few of the skills Jennifer mentioned are presenting in front of a group, organizing over 50 events for the community, and having the confidence to talk one-on-one with adults about the importance of cancer research.”  She said that she had no doubt they could reach their original goal of $100,000, but I was shocked to see the fundraising total reach nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

The changes Brown, Ferrer, and Steiner were able to bring about are truly inspiring. They have proven that teenagers and their communities can make a difference.

Watch as Team CoUREage 6.0 is announced as the the top fundraiser and the 2025 “Student Visionaries of the Year.”

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