The 10^th annual Man & Woman of the Year campaign wrapped up last night with a Grand Finale Celebration at the Hyatt Regency Savannah. The event celebrated the hard work of seventeen local business leaders and their teams. Collectively they raised $635,454 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) mission to find a cure for blood cancer and provide support to patients and their families.

Every dollar the candidates raised counted as one “vote” and the candidates with the most votes were awarded the titles Man & Woman of the Year. Team Throwing CURE Balls, led by Charlie Webber with Choate Construction Company, earned the title of Man of the Year by raising $142,252.15. The Runner Up Man of the Year was Shane Harpham with Sea Smile Pediatric Dentistry, leading his team, Sea Kids Smile. The title of Woman of the Year was awarded to Kaylin Hammer, with Hammer Insurance. Her team, Hammer 4 Hope, raised $70,878.74. The Runner Up Woman of the Year was Christy Marsengill, with Keller Williams Coastal Area Partners, leading her team, Team Not Giving Up. All the candidates competed in honor of LLS’s Boy & Girl of the Year, Eli and Aurora, local children who are blood cancer survivors and sources of inspiration to others. 

“Our generous Savannah and Lowcountry community has helped LLS raise $4 million through this campaign over the past ten years. The impact of those funds on research can be seen through new FDA approvals for blood cancer treatments numbering in the double digits each year. These candidates and their teams have made in the fight against cancer extraordinary. Their efforts raised awareness of the LLS mission as well as funds; and we couldn’t be prouder of their dedication and accomplishments,” said Jennie Brewster, Campaign Development Director for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Georgia/South Carolina Region.

In addition, Citizenship Awards were presented to those candidates who incorporated the LLS mission into their campaign and went above and beyond to engage their community. The Mission Integration Award was earned by Christy Marsengill, Keller Williams Coastal Area Partners and her team, Team Not Giving Up. The Volunteerism Award was awarded to Ciara Thomas, Specialty Sports and her team Ron’s Glories. The Community Involvement Award was awarded to Lindsay Edwards, Kelly Caron Designs and her team Live Life Strong. Team Member of the Year went to Texas Cates, team Because of Buster.

The candidates were selected by a Leadership Team chaired by Jarad Brown, Certainty Home Loans.

To learn more about the campaign or nominate someone for 2023, go to https://mwoy.org/get-involved/nominate