Brittany Vose dedicated to making a difference in cancer research
Pictured is HPU junior Brittany Vose. Photo by: highpoint.edu.
By Erika Esterline, Staff Writer//
To many, raising $250,000 for pancreatic cancer research would be a huge accomplishment. However, for High Point University junior Brittany Vose, this is just one milestone to celebrate toward achieving her ultimate goal of raising $1 million.
“My goal since I’ve started has been to raise $1 million,” said Vose. “It was incredible to raise $100,000 in one year, basically doubling what I did last year. Never did I think I would do that so quickly. Just to see how this event has grown, this year we had close to 300 people. I never thought I would have hit a quarter of a million dollars so quickly, but now that I’m here it’s just pushing me to reach my end goal.”
After her father passed away from pancreatic cancer when she was five years old, her mother motivated her to find the positive at all times.
Soon, Vose and her mom began traveling to Boston in order to participate in Lust Garden Foundation pancreatic cancer research walks.
However, frequently traveling to and from Boston became taxing, and since there were no such walks in her home state of Connecticut, with her mother’s support she decided to start one herself. At 13 years old, Vose hosted her first walk in honor of her father.
Vose picked the Lust Garden Foundation, partially because it was the one she was most familiar with, but also because she knew that all of the money she raised would go to research.
“My first walk was in a parking lot. It was really small, probably 45 people max, but we raised $20,000 and it was nothing that I would have expected,” Vose said. “We are always thinking of different things to do, like maybe adding a new event this year while still keeping the walk.”
Since then, Vose has expanded the annual walk and last year alone raised $100,000 from the event. This is due in part to support from Traveler’s Insurance company that has helped build and sponsor the event.
“It is an amazing experience and feeling to know that you are directly helping others and you could potentially be stopping others from going through what you have.” ~Brittany Vose
The walk takes place on a golf course each year, so tickets to one of their tournaments are provided as incentive for people to participate.
However, because this only appeals to a small range of people, Vose is constantly adding new things to the event, all while balancing a full load of college courses and campus involvement.
She has help from her mom in starting up the event, along with the help of a small committee of volunteers. But in May, she takes over and begins fully preparing for the walk.
“It’s changed my whole life; I find myself wanting to lead more just because I lead this whole event. I want to go into adolescent psychology. Helping those kids through difficult times is something that can shape you into who you are and it definitely did that for me,” Vose said.
“It is an amazing experience and feeling to know that you are directly helping others and you could potentially be stopping others from going through what you have,” Vose said.