A warm smile was found in downtown Mount Airy last week, the friendly face said hello and asked, “How are you?” to someone she had never met. The goodwill ambassador on this day was Jacee Avara outside of her aunt Angel Haynes’ coffee shop, Keep Smiling A’Latte.
Jacee has been nominated to participate in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s annual Students of the Year campaign, in which high school students compete against one another to raise the most money for cancer research.
Starting at the beginning of the month and through March 19, she will be collecting money for LLS and will be hosting a big bingo fundraiser on Saturday, March 5, at 5 p.m. at the VFW in Mount Airy. Two weeks later, a gala event will be held in Greensboro to announce the winner.
The winner of the contest will be awarded a scholarship. Of twelve teams in the Triad region hers is the first team ever from Surry County to compete.
“It’s an amazing opportunity, a once in a lifetime thing you get to do,” Jacee said relaxing on the front couch of the coffee shop and reflecting on what this chance to make an impact means to her. “It’s like going to Disney World.”
A sophomore at Mount Airy High School, Jacee likes to write, mostly poetry although she has been known to embark on a short story here and there. True to form for anyone her age, she has yet to firm her future plans noting once she wanted to work in law enforcement, had also wanted to be a photographer like her mother, or more recently teach English.
Whether at a four-year university or starting locally at Surry Community College, she has her sights set on higher education. She knows the future begins now with the choices she makes at school.
In her junior year she will begin the Career and College Promise program through a cooperative program with the community college. CCP is a dual enrollment program that offers high schoolers a way to begin their college studies by earning college credits tuition free.
Not your average goal
Fundraising to cure cancer is a lofty ambition for a high schooler. There are other kids who would say just play soccer or try out for the school play because certainly one person cannot make an impact on such a big problem.
For her it is not that simple – because it’s personal. Anyone who has had a personal experience with the fight against cancer can attest to the feeling known by Jacee and her family – a hatred for the disease. An insidious thing is cancer, and the apparent randomness with which it can strike knows no limit.
Such was the case last March when beloved aunt Traci Haynes George was out on a girls’ trip. When some bruises that did not belong showed up, she went to the hospital where an examination led to diagnosis of leukemia.
“With her lifestyle it was just very shocking,” Jacee remembered. “She eats clean, exercises every single day, so you would think – why in the world am I having cancer?”
When the nomination came in, Jacee saw it as a chance to show solidarity with her aunt and formed her team Surry Working Alongside Traci, or Team S.W.A.T. Whether a clever pun on Traci’s time with WorkForce Unlimited was intended, it is a great name for a worthy cause.
“We started at $30,000 but, knowing me and my family, I figured we can do better than that. So, I went for $50,000,” she said of the new Team S.W.A.T. goal, a target she is tracking daily. “It’s going really well.”
Through old fashioned networking, social media campaigns, a slew of media appearances and profit matches from the coffee shop and Heavenly Angels Photography, Jacee is well on her way. Northern Regional Hospital has stepped up with a matching donation in the amount of $15,000.
Family matters
To be nominated for participation in the LLS Students of the Year is an honor, one not yet bestowed on a Surry County student, and Jacee was nominated by a family friend to participate.
The impetus for wanting to participate is her aunt Traci. “She’s always been very active in her community, working with Shepherd’s House and the coat racks you see around like outside Donna’s barbershop,” she said of her aunt who was recently named by the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce as the 2021 Mount Airy Citizen of the Year for her tireless work.
“Her enthusiasm and energy was contagious. To be around Traci makes you want to be a better person,” wrote Catrina Alexander in her nomination for the citizen of the year. A similar feeling permeated from Jacee discussing this contest while her mother beamed from the other side of the room.
Even in describing her illness, George struck a tone of optimism, “I told myself, someone has it worse than I do so be thankful for the news you received. I am thankful for all of it. The highs. The lows. The blessings. The lessons. The setbacks. The comebacks. Everything. And I am on the comeback.”
Family is of significant importance to Jacee, and she mentioned leaning on family as a crucial tool for anyone facing a great struggle, as her aunt had. “Stay with your family, they are your biggest support circle. I’ve learned that through all the things that me and my family have been through.
“It doesn’t matter what you’re feeling, they’ve always told me that what you’re feeling is valid. Its okay to feel that way, just don’t close yourself away from everyone else. Don’t shut down, just be surrounded by love. That’s what helps the most, I think.”
Not one to shut down or shy away, Jacee rolled up her sleeves for a seven-week slugfest against a foe that can seem beyond defeat. As the fundraiser rolls on to the bingo event in March, Jacee and Team S.W.A.T. will be doing their part – they need help from the community.
Find information at: https://events.lls.org/gso/triadsoy22/javara
For the hand wringing about today’s youth, Donna Hiatt had it all figured out when describing Tracee Avara, “Who says today’s teenagers don’t have a clue?”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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