Jim Thorpe students Molly Behan and Natalia Richards are on a mission to take out cancer.

Behan and Richards, or "Team Jim Thorpe," are joining nine other students from the Lehigh Valley for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's inaugural "Students of the Year" fundraising competition. Proceeds of the drive, which kicked off on Friday, will go toward blood cancer research and patient access to patients and families. Behan and Richards both have had all-too-personal experiences with blood cancer affecting loved ones."My best friend, Hunter Wolfe, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in 2010," Behan said. "After losing Hunter to such a terrible disease, I wanted to help raise money in hopes that a cure is found.""My older brother, Damian, was diagnosed with pediatric follicular Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2014," Richards said. "It is because of organizations like LLS and the research they've done that Damian was fortunate enough to avoid chemotherapy and other extensive treatments. I wanted to raise money and awareness for LLS in order to help other families that are affected by blood cancers."Each dollar that the girls raise counts as one vote toward their group, and the highest earning student or team will be announced at the grand finale on March 17.The girls said that their strategy for success will focus on education, spreading the word on blood cancers, and doing all they can to collect donations. They both pointed out that blood cancer is common- a diagnosis is made every three minutes, and an estimated 1,237,824 people in the United States are either living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma."While we would be honored to receive the scholarship, we feel that this campaign is more about bringing our community together to help blood cancer patients and their families than it is about winning a competition," Richards said.On Monday, Team Jim Thorpe will be hosting a spaghetti dinner at the Carbon Masonic Lodge 242, which promises to be a big draw to the community. A musical event at Molly Maguires is also being held on the following Friday."I am most excited for LLS Night at the Molly Maguires on Feb. 24," Behan said. "I love hearing Becky and the Beasts play at Molly's, and I know that this event will bring our community together and raise donations for our team."While they group has lofty goals in their fundraising plan - they're shooting for $20,000 - all that matters to them is that they are doing what they can to further research and treatment for those in need."Whether we reach our goal or not, we are honored to be participating in the campaign and spreading our stories," the girls said. "Every penny earned throughout our campaign goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We are so grateful for all of the donations received and thankful for everyone's generosity toward our mission."