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DCA’s Lissa Maxwell Named LLS Woman of the Year July 01, 2010 (0 comments)
NASHVILLE, TN., JUNE 9, 2010 — On June 3, The Diamond Council of America’s Director of Operations, Lissa Maxwell was named The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2010 Woman of the Year in Nashville, Tenn. Maxwell raised $37,155, while a combined $220,000 was raised by all 13 male and female candidates.
The LLS Man & Woman of the Year campaign is an annual nationwide fundraiser. Each dollar raised counts as one vote, and the male and female contestants raising the most money are then named as the Man and Woman of the year for their local chapter. All money raised goes to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The 10-week fundraising effort concluded on June 3 with a banquet, including both a silent and live auction. As a jewelry industry professional, Maxwell was proud to have received many beautiful jewelry pieces to offer in the silent auction, which helped raise several thousand dollars during the finale. Companies that donated items for the auction included Absolute Brilliance, Brixton & Gill, Fine Jewelry by Louis, Guy Harvey, Kovel Designs, Southeastern Findings, Tracy Pearls and Zhen Zhu Pearls.
During the competition, four candidates won the opportunity to offer a live-auction item. Maxwell was among this select group. Her item was a beautiful hand-made quilt crafted by her mother, Marcia Maxwell. The quilt fetched the highest price of all auction items, selling for $3,500 to Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher.
Maxwell felt honored to be involved in this fundraising effort. “Participating in the LLS Man & Woman of the Year campaign was such a wonderful experience for me,” said Maxwell. “Two of my very dear friends have lost their mothers to blood cancers, so this fundraising effort was very personal for me. I hope the money we raised will help find a cure so that others will not have to lose their loves ones too soon.”
Every four minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer, and every ten minutes someone dies from a blood cancer.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. As a result of ongoing research, overall survival rates for leukemia have tripled in the last 40 years. An amazing 86 cents of every dollar raised during the Man and Woman of the Year campaign goes directly to the LLS mission. LLS supports research, patient services, public and professional education, advocacy and community services. To learn more, visit www.leukemia-lymphoma.org.
Maxwell is Director of Operations for the Diamond Council of America (DCA). Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., the DCA is a leading educational organization for professional retail jewelry salespeople. DCA represents more than 5,200 jewelry stores and leading suppliers of diamonds and gems across the country. To learn more about DCA, visit www.diamondcouncil.org.