BUFFALO, N.Y. — At just 14-years-old, Petros Kollidas has already shown he's a "Good Neighbor." He's gone Bald for Bucks, participated in the Ride for Roswell, and donated gifts with his family to Children's Hospital.
"I just am trying to find as many ways as possible that I can impact the world around me while still being so young," said Petros.
Now the Canisius High School freshman has another ambitious philanthropic goal. He's working to raise $50,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He's competing against two dozen other high school students from Western New York to see who can raise the most money in 7 weeks in the LLS Student of the Year program. Petros was nominated to participate in the program by his former headmaster at Elmwood Franklin School, Andy Duyell. According to LLS, Students of the Year "is a philanthropic leadership development program for exemplary high school students. During the campaign, participants foster professional skills such as entrepreneurship, marketing, and project management in order to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society."
To Petros though, it's much more than just a competition.
"It's important to me because I have had many family members who have fought with cancer and some have lost their battles unfortunately," he said.
Petros cousin Ross Comaratta lost his battle with leukemia in 2016, a pain Petros wants no other family to have to endure.
"So our goal is to raise as much money so hopefully one day we can find a cure," he said.
Petros's parents say they've tried to instill the importance of generosity in their four boys, and Petros exemplifies it in his efforts in this project and every day.
"Its about legacy at the end. You can't leave anything with you except the impact that you have on other people. And we try to implement in our family," said Raymond Kollidas, Petros's father.
"It makes me feel like I'm doing something good and I can be useful and helpful during these tough times."
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Student of the Year campaign is already underway, and the students have until March 26th to meet their goals. In just two weeks, Petros has already raised $10,000 by simply asking for donations from family, friends and local businesses. If you'd like to donate to his campaign, click here.