A group of D.C. Metro Area employees, friends and family members gathered together on a fall Friday evening. They joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and 2,000 other people in the Reston Town Center to raise awareness. Team Maximus enjoyed festivities before walking a mile with lanterns in hand. They shined a ray of hope, lighting the night in support of cancer survivors and the loved ones they lost.

Five weeks earlier, the Maximus Foundation agreed to partner with LLS. They joined the Light The Night Walk and accepted a challenge to raise $15,000. All funds raised went to lifesaving research and support for people battling cancer. To reach their goal, they launched a five-week fundraising challenge across the D.C. Metro offices. A committee of team captains representing different departments at Maximus formed. Every captain came up with creative and fun ways to raise funds for this cause. For example, some of them delivered singing telegrams, quilted blankets, and painted landscapes. Offices also held events like a sports jersey day, a matching pledge from a corporate director, and a bake off to support the effort.

Together, they all celebrated in their very own team tent with their Foundation sweaters to keep them warm. During the five-week challenge, everyone’s combined efforts helped achieve the following:

• Team Maximus raised more than $16,500.
• 47 individual fundraisers raised more than $6,800 of that total.
• 43 Maximus employees, friends and family members came together for the Walk.
• Systems Department was the top fundraising team during our friendly interdepartmental fundraising challenge.
• Team Maximus became a top five corporate fundraiser, according to the LLS Reston website.