Everyone belongs on the team. That belief inspired Athletes for Life, a Girl Scout Gold Award project created by student-athlete Abby Stephens. The Gold Award challenges girls to create lasting change, and Abby chose to focus on improving access to donor matches, since patients in underrepresented communities are far less likely to find a compatible match. This gap directly lowers their chances of surviving certain blood cancers and diseases.

Athletic teams are the perfect partners because they're diverse, dedicated and understand the importance of showing up for others. That kind of teamwork makes a real difference when supporting cancer patients and their families.

Abby's goal is to recruit 2000 new donors during high school to bring hope to patients and help close survival-rate gaps for kids and adults who need a match. She's working to build a model that future students can grow to make this effort bigger than one person and stronger with every team. 

Abby partners with sports programs, churches, schools, community groups, and medical facilities. She loves invitations to practices, meetings, and events where she can share the mission and help grow the registry. Everyone belongs on the team, and everyone can make a difference.