HHS Car Wash to Benefit Lymphoma & Leukemia Society
Huntington High School alum Erin Zammett Ruddy is indefatigable when it comes to raising money and awareness in the battle against cancer. The Huntington English Honor Society has been so inspired by the grad's campaign that it will hold a car wash at the high school this Saturday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with proceeds going to The Lymphoma & Leukemia Society.
Mrs. Zammett Ruddy is a member of Huntington's Class of 1996. In each of the past two years she returned to her alma mater to speak to journalism students in teacher Aimee Antorino's classes. Ms. Antorino is also a Huntington grad, as well as being the English Honor Society's faculty advisor along with colleague Helen Guarino.
For the past two months, Ms. Zammett Ruddy, who played soccer, basketball, volleyball and softball as a teenager, has been raising money for The Lymphoma & Leukemia Society. "It's been an amazing journey and the community has truly reached out to support her in so many ways," said Kim Betz Gilroy, a Southdown School teacher and still another HHS alum. "I wanted to help her end the campaign by reaching out to as many Huntington parents and alumni as possible."
Huntington High School librarian Patricia Dillon is pitching in to help at the car wash, too. "If you don't know what to give mom for Mother's Day, how about getting her car washed a day early?" Mrs. Dillon asked with her usual sly sense of humor.
Mrs. Zammett Ruddy's fundraising initiative is set to end on May 17, so it's "crunch time," said Mrs. Betz Gilroy. A raffle table to benefit the fundraising drive will be set-up on Saturday at the Blue Devil men's lacrosse alumni game at Huntington High School. The alum is trying to raise $100,000 for the LLS. The English Honor Society signed onto the campaign as a community service project.
Univ. of Tennessee Grad
After graduating from the University of Tennessee, where she earned an athletic letter as a varsity volleyball player, Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy landed a position at Glamour magazine. She worked there as an assistant editor for eight years, leaving in 2008 and moving from Manhattan to the Huntington area to raise her two children with her husband, Nick.
While working as an editor at Glamour, Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy learned she had been stricken with chronic myelogenous leukemia. She penned a book in 2005, "My So-Called Normal Life," which tells the story of what it is like to receive a frightening cancer diagnosis at 23 years of age and Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy's subsequent battle against the feared disease. The book evolved from her columns at Glamour.
10-Year Survivor
Since departing Glamour, Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy has worked full-time as a freelance writer. Over the course of her career, her work has appeared in numerous magazines including Glamour, Playboy, Modern Bride, Real Simple, Redbook and Parenting.
"I just hit the 10-year mark of being diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia," Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy told the Huntington journalism students she met with last January. "My sister Melissa just hit seven years since being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. To celebrate the fact that we are both thriving and to commemorate those milestones in a way that helps others, we have signed on to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man/Woman of the Year Campaign. It's a 10-week long fundraising competition (March 8 - May 17) where candidates can raise money in any way they like."
For more information visit erinzammettruddy.com or send Mrs. Zammett Ruddy an e-mail at erinzruddy@yahoo.com.