Irvine, California: Jennifer Oz was 13 years old when she said goodbye to her friend, Emily Neufeld, who passed away from non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Her funeral was the most painful experience Jennifer ever had. Emily was the older sister Jennifer always wished for. She was astounding, athletic, intelligent, and genuine. She was an inspiration to everyone who knew her.
Jennifer made a choice to embrace the pain of losing her friend, to find hope, and use that hope to raise funds for cancer research that will reduce the number of young lives extinguished far too soon, so all can enjoy their powerful presence.
As a candidate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Students of the Year, Jennifer set a goal to raise $50,000 for cancer research to honor Emily and link her name to a Pediatric & Young Adult cancer research portfolio.
To reach the $50,000 fundraising goal, Jennifer formed a team called Wishful Workers, and recruited 26 students and 4 adults. She then proceeded to search for corporate donors and sponsors by creating a LinkedIn account. Her strategy was to find and connect with decision makers, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals. She knew she would need advice and introductions.
During her winter break, Jennifer spent more than 200 hours on LinkedIn connecting and communicating with business professionals. Jennifer raised awareness with her posts and videos and within several weeks, she gained more than 10,000 followers. As a result of her relentless work, Jennifer secured meetings with executives of publicly traded companies, and she fostered meaningful relationships with mentors and thought leaders.
Jennifer developed a relationship with EY Entrepreneur of the Year winner, Rohit Marwaha, a Subway development agent, who collaborated with Jennifer to launch a successful fundraising campaign in 200 Subway stores in San Diego County that raised more than $20,000 for Jennifer’s campaign.
In addition to Subway, Jennifer’s fundraising campaign also received cash donations from Ingram Micro, Tillys, Women Sales Pros, B2C Capital and New OC Homes.
Jennifer’s team, Wishful Workers, reached their goal of raising $50,000 for cancer research. They successfully raised awareness throughout the U.S. and received donations from all 50 states and Washington DC. Jennifer lead by example making the first donation herself as soon as her campaign kicked off on February 10, 2019.
For her effort and leadership, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society honored Jennifer with the Innovation Award, which is given to a candidate who has gone above and beyond thinking outside of the box. Jennifer was integral in developing a relationship with Subway to expand exposure in the community in the fight against cancer.
Jennifer hopes that the success of her fundraising campaign will inspire teens to participate in philanthropy programs and community service. Together, she believes, everyone can make a meaningful impact.
About Jennifer Oz:
Jennifer Oz is a high school student devoted to community service and making the world a better place. She is the co-founder and co-president of the Homeless Youth Outreach Club and the Popsicle Project Club. She is an Assistance League Chairman where she volunteers and raises funds to help teen girls in crisis. She hopes to attend a college that fosters innovation, entrepreneurship and community service.
Honors & Awards: LLS Innovation Award; Hero Award; Students of the Year Candidate; HOBY Alumni; HOBY Ambassador Scholarship; National Honor Society; California Scholarship Foundation;
Presidential Service Award; Falcon Service Award.
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For more information about Epic Youth Philanthropy, contact the company here:
Epic Youth Philanthropy
Rachel Erza
(949) 630-2700
rachel@eypp.org
27068 La Paz Rd Suite 743 Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
