Lauren McCaffrey grew up in the small town of Silver Lake, Kansas with her parents and older brother. After graduating high school, she decided to attend Kansas State University to pursue a degree in Dietetics with a minor in Kinesiology. She is currently a sophomore hoping to become a Registered Dietitian to help patients with their nutritional battles and goals. Growing up, Lauren attended several American Cancer Society – Relay For Life events with her family, as her mother, Kasey Gerdes, was very involved with the Event Leadership Teams. She got to experience the fun of these events and see how the money raised helped cancer patients through the American Cancer Society. In 2015, her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was asked to walk the Couture for Cancer show before she sadly passed away that following May. Lauren looked up to her mother in many ways and has always aspired to be as loving and passionate as she was. Despite losing her mother, Lauren continued to attend the Shawnee County Relay For Life with her friends and family to honor Kasey and her fight against cancer. Lauren also continued to attend Couture for Cancer for several years with her grandmother, who also walked the show in 2018.
A few years later, in Lauren’s junior year of high school, she decided that she wanted to do something to honor her mother and make a difference in her community. With this, she decided to step out of her comfort zone and spearhead the first Relay For Life event in over 20 years in her hometown. Lauren gathered a team of students, community members, and around 20 local business sponsors to help make the event a success. After raising over $14,000 the first year, she decided to continue her leadership role as event chair for two more years, raising close to $40,000 between the three events. Organizing these events quickly became a passion for Lauren that she hopes to continue sharing with her community for many years to come. It has become one of her greatest accomplishments, teaching her many lessons and giving her countless life skills. Lauren was unanimously voted for the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award, granted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Topeka for her efforts in 2022. After witnessing the hardships that her mother and many other families in her community endured while fighting cancer, Lauren found motivation to help others live a healthy lifestyle by pursuing a career in Nutrition and Dietetics. She hopes to use her experiences and skills gained to educate and assist individuals in living a healthier lifestyle throughout her future career.
