The past few weeks have been busy at FX Express Publications, Inc., as we’ve started to prepare for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s sixth annual Red and White Ball.

Although the actual event isn’t until March, I have been getting in contact with people to secure donations for the event’s silent auction. The silent auction benefits the work the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society does, and in the years since FX Express has been involved, the organization has raised more than $1 million for the society.

© LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY

The result of these ambitions is weeks of hard work filled with combing through contact lists, writing out letters for specific people at diverse organizations and mailing requests to more than 600 people. The work to get the list ready took nearly two weeks. The sending of the emails took another week, and it will surely take weeks for all of the responses to come in, but ultimately, that work will be worth it if the money raised goes toward finding a cure.

The rest of the process is pretty straightforward. Brands interested in supporting the cause get back to me and will send certificates to the office. This year’s gala is scheduled for March 23, 2019.

The event seems to be a big draw and grows each year. If the growth is an indication of the good work the society is doing, I am glad to see it.

Although I find myself involved on behalf of FX Express to gather donations, working to raise money for good causes is not something new for me personally. For years, throughout high school and college, a group of longtime friends from around the neighborhood would carol to raise money for various causes. One year, it was for the Wounded Warriors Foundation, another, the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Although this work was on a different scale than the work I did when I was younger, knowing I play even a small role in raising money for a good cause feels great.

— Erich Martin, assistant editor