Doing Good
Giving Back and Getting Back
Local teen’s creative fundraising program continues to grow
Peachtree Corners teen, Lex Stolle, was ten years old and just starting fifth grade when he was diagnosed with high-risk, acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After the diagnosis, he underwent an initial round of chemotherapy to put the disease into remission, followed by 10 months of intense treatments and another two-and-a-half years of monthly maintenance and nightly medicine to keep it there.
The treatments were hard on his body, limiting his ability to attend school and participate in his usual activities. But his spirit and determination stayed strong. A close-knit family, loving friends and excellent care from the Aflac Center and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta supported him every step of the way. And his own optimistic personality kept him going through even the most difficult moments.
“I claim I’ll live just like my blood type and ‘B positive,’” Lex said of his personal motto. “I value determination, optimism and a deep belief in the bigger plan for my life.”
Now, at 15-years-old, Lex says he’s doing better than ever and is committed to using his experience to help others. One way he’s doing that is through his nonprofit fundraising program, Cancer Card.
A fundraiser that gives back and gets back
A simple but clever idea, Cancer Cards are discount cards connected to restaurants within the community. The participating businesses agree to be part of the program, offering a discount for card users. People buy the cards, which raises money for cancer treatments and research, and then they use the cards to save money when going out to eat — driving business to the local restaurants. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.
The idea for the program came to Lex in 2022.
“As a kid going through childhood cancer, I met a lot of other kids on the same journey as me,” said Lex. “Fortunately, so many of the friends that I made are now healthy and successfully in college or participating in sports in high school. However, I did have some friends that were not able to finish their journey. It made me so upset that a child could never get married, never go to college, never get a job and have kids. I knew we needed a solution to this. I’m not someone that likes just asking for money, so I brainstormed a way for everybody to benefit.”
Continued growth
He initially started out with a focus on Peachtree Corners businesses, selling the discount cards to his own friends and family. The fundraiser quickly grew beyond his immediate circle though, becoming an official nonprofit in 2023.
Since then, the program has grown even larger. This year, the fundraiser offers cards for five communities: Peachtree Corners, Dunwoody, Milton/Alpharetta, Marietta and Athens, with plans to expand beyond that as more and more people learn about the program.
“In the first year, we raised a couple hundred dollars,” Lex shared. “Then last year, we brought in over $8,000, and we are projecting a much higher number this year!”
Ongoing challenges
Though the Cancer Card program has been a success so far, Lex shared that it’s a lot harder to get businesses to sign up than people might think.
“Last year, I reached out to over 340 businesses and went in person for many, yet got responses from less than 10%,” he said. “It’s especially hard to get corporations and chained restaurants.”
As far as getting people to purchase the cards, he said “it’s just about enlightening them of the benefit of it. So many people don’t understand that the card will quite literally save you money over the course of the year. As residents, we all eat at these places anyway, so why not get 10 or 15% off every single time you go?”
He continued, “There’s a common saying that goes, ‘there’s no such thing as a selfless act,’ and while I agree that it can be hard to not think about ourselves 100% of the time, when we do help out others, it carries love to our community that we all so desperately need right now. If we all tried to hold the door for one person a day or pick up a water bottle off the sidewalk, Peachtree Corners would become a much happier, safer and cleaner environment for us all.”
Looking forward
With an admitted passion for finding solutions to problems that are close to his heart, Lex shared that he enjoys speaking publicly for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He hosts his own monthly radio show on WSB Radio called 95.5 WSB Presents: The Children of Children’s. And he likes keeping up with the latest politics.
“While those aren’t typical hobbies for a 15-year-old,” he said, “I wouldn’t change it for the world. Every day I look forward to seeing how many Cancer Cards I sold the day before or checking on the status of legislation to benefit Americans going through cancer diagnoses.”
Looking to the future, this tenth grader at William and Reed Academy has big plans — for himself and for the Cancer Card program.
“It’s not a usual dream job for a sophomore, but I would love to become a federal politician or potentially a lobbyist — for good of course,” he shared. “My hope is that I can stay true to my morals and fight for people with a story similar to mine. I would love to continue Cancer Cards into college, or better yet, find my next passion project that can have an even larger impact not just in Georgia, but all over the United States. I’m excited to see what’s in store for the future of Cancer Cards.”
The details
2024 Cancer Cards are on sale now and active through May 25, 2025. Each card is $25. All proceeds go to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta — the same place where Stolle received his treatment.
Cards can be purchased for Peachtree Corners, Milton/Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Athens and Marietta. The discounts associated with the cards can be used at participating restaurants more than once until the expiration date.
To purchase your cards (or make a tax-deductible donation), visit cancercard.net.
Like most Americans, the Hajduk family is grateful for the safety and service military personnel provide.
“Veterans causes and military support is something that’s very near and dear to me and [my wife] Cindy personally,” said Andrew Hajduk, owner of Vox-pop-uli, a Peachtree Corners marketing production company. “As parents, and business owners, my family is [tied to the] military.”
Both Hajduk’s father and his older son Daniel, who is also the company’s client development manager, are veterans. Daniel Hajduk served in the Navy. His younger son, Steven is currently serving in the Navy on board the USS Carl Vinson.
“I think that we’ve gotten away from pride in military service and things like that,” said Hajduk. “But now I think it’s coming back.”
With the remnants of the COVID pandemic finally disappearing, he said he’s noticing more companies bringing people back to work.
“Companies are working on their brand and finding their identity, and we really wanted to help them support their causes,” he said. “We live in a great country, and we don’t do nearly enough to recognize these men and women [in the military]. We just wanted to raise awareness for those kids that are out there serving.”
Red Shirt Friday
While Vox-pop-uli was doing business with Aaron’s, it realized the rent-to-own retailer was participating in a national program called “Red Shirt Friday.” It’s a day of recognition for the brave individuals who serve in the military, according to RedShirtFriday.com.
The acronym R.E.D., which stands for Remembering Everyone Deployed (or Remember Everyone Deployed), was created to remind people of the heroes overseas and show that those back home are thinking of them.
“Now we do Red Shirt Friday, and there are lots of other companies out there that do it,” said Hajduk. “We’ve had people ask us over the years why we’re all wearing red — so we’ve explained it.”
Since the company adds custom designs to just about every type of product, some clients started asking for an American flag to be added to the backs, and sometimes the sleeves, of their custom apparel. That sparked an idea for Vox-pop-uli.
Initiative for local, national veteran support
With clients seeking ways to be a part of the movement, Vox-pop-uli launched a new program in November.
“We’re on a mission to raise $1 million in ten years for veteran support groups,” said Hajduk. “And we found in talking to people that there are a lot of local military support groups out there.”
Called The RED Collection, for every item purchased — from their selection of shirts, jackets, mugs and hats — Vox-pop-uli will donate $5 directly to support veterans. An American flag can also be added to the left sleeve of the garments.
Many smaller veterans groups in communities like Peachtree Corners don’t always have the resources or level of awareness that groups like Wounded Warriors, Tunnel to Towers, the Gary Sinise Foundation and other well-known national charities have.
“They’re all great causes, but we’ve got so many guys in our community that those groups don’t always reach,” said Hajduk.
Helping companies, helping causes
He mentioned a group in South Georgia that’s part of the Wake for Warriors organization. On weekends, volunteers throughout the country take disabled veterans that were wounded in service out onto local lakes for a day of fun and healing.
“They’ve got all the wakeboards and stuff like that equipped for these guys that have lost limbs and things … ,” he said. “We’re trying to help other causes like that.”
Companies are donating a portion of the sales for the “red shirt” products to the charities of their choice. And Vox-pop-uli is donating its profits from those items to military-based nonprofits as well.
“As we’ve done this, we have found there’s a huge calling or need that companies want to find their purpose,” he said.
Once the decision is made to get involved, Vox-pop-uli is there to help companies get started in the process.
Every good cause needs funding
The idea is so easy for the company to execute that Vox isn’t limiting the help to just giving to military-based services.
“We’re working with people to get involved with their pet projects. No pun intended, but maybe it’s a local animal shelter,” said Hajduk.
He mentioned a company that has a foundation where half of the money goes to scholarships and half of the money goes to disaster relief.
“They’re a nationwide retailer with 330 stores. They have a ton of employees in Florida that last year got rocked with hurricanes,” he said. “They were able to give back to the associates in their member companies to get them back on their feet.”
In that case, the company is branding on the sleeve of the shirt so that it still has the company name on there.
“It’s still great workwear and stuff, but they’re also taking a portion of the sales, and we’re giving on it as well,” said Hajduk. “We had one client present a check to its board of directors of the foundation for $4,800.”
With that one client alone, Vox-pop-uli will probably exceed the goal of raising $1 million in ten years. Hajduk said he’d be happy to modify it.
The Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) awarded local high school senior, Heidi Chung, a $1,000 scholarship during their April 24 Business After Hours event. Heidi and her family were presented with the scholarship and introduced to the organization’s members and guests at the monthly gathering.
Heidi was accepted by several colleges and has selected the University of Kentucky to continue her education, pursuing a degree in nursing. When asked what lessons she has learned from her experiences volunteering and serving in the community throughout her life, Heidi commented, “I have learned that true leadership is about service, taking initiative and persevering through challenges.”
Scholarship Chair Donna Linden and Outreach Director Suzanna Martinez shared that the scholarship committee was impressed with Heidi’s many accomplishments, “whether she was organizing fundraisers, leading performance groups or helping athletes recover from injuries, Heidi demonstrated a positive impact on the community, as well as outstanding academic results.”
Funds for the PCBA Community Outreach Program are raised throughout the year from PCBA membership, sponsorship and an annual charity event. Donations and scholarships are awarded at PCBA’s monthly events so that members have the opportunity to learn more about the individuals and organizations.
“We are so proud that the PCBA has … awarded 20 scholarships to outstanding future business leaders and donated in excess of $173,000 into our metro Atlanta community over the last 13 years,” stated Lisa Proctor, PCBA board president.
About Peachtree Corners Business Association
“Where Businesses Come to Grow,” the Peachtree Corners Business Association is a business membership organization that focuses on innovative approaches, programs, shared resources, community outreach and opportunities for member businesses and professionals to connect, develop, grow and prosper.
The PCBA is made up of businesses of all sizes and types who want to expand their reach and grow their business within Peachtree Corners and the greater metro Atlanta area.
For more information, call 678-969-3385, email membership@peachtreecornersba.com or visit peachtreecornersba.com.
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