Inspirational Stories

To be of service to others comes naturally to the Yarnalls. Bob is a 25-year Marine Corps veteran and a teacher. Kim is a chiropractor for over 22 years. Collectively they have 50 years of non-profit sector experience and run The Mission Makers, a grant writing and non-profit consulting business, helping other non-profits meet their mission. In addition to their work with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), they are also involved and passionate about working with Semper Fi and America's Fund serving the veteran community.  Locally Kim serves as Chief Volunteer Officer for the Pocono Family YMCA and Bob serves on the fundraising and grants committees. It’s more than just a passion for the Yarnalls. It is teamwork and a family driven effort fueled by the many people who have graced their lives impacted by blood cancer.  

Kim’s journey began with LLS when her close friend was diagnosed with Lymphoma (now a survivor). She signed up to run in her honor with Team in Training (TNT). Her first marathon was at 2014 New Orleans, where her team ranked as one of the top 5 fundraisers. She thought that would be the extent of her participation, but it did not stop there. To date, Kim has run two full marathons, two half marathons, was the Team Mentor for the 2015 DC half marathon, and participated in the Big Climb Philly. In 2018, Kim was nominated and won Woman of the Year for their Chapter! They knew it was going to be one of the toughest campaigns they would participate in. Originally, her goal was to raise $100,000 in her lifetime, thinking it would take 20-30 years to raise, but Kim was able to raise more than $103,000 in just 10 weeks bringing her close to $120,000 lifetime so far!

What started out as Kim's journey has become their journey.  Bob has gone from supporting Kim's TNT races, to being her Campaign Chair for Woman of the Year and now serves as the Board Chair for the Lehigh Valley Board of Trustees on which they both serve together, solidifying their determination and dedication to LLS’s mission. With their encouragement, their daughter Ashley also joined and participated in the 2021 Students of the Year campaign. Ashley was initially nervous about it. She was starting to voice her concerns to her parents about her participation, but that same day Kim and Bob were taking a flight back home and happened to sit next to a grandfather who was on his way to see his five-year-old granddaughter who was fighting Leukemia. As chance would have it, Kim and Bob knew that girl’s family. From that moment, Kim, Bob, and Ashley knew that McCoy, that little girl fighting for her life, would be the driving force for Ashley and her team’s campaign. The team set a goal to raise $50,000, knowing that is how much it takes to fund a research grant. Not only did they win 2021 Students of Year for Lehigh chapter, but they surpassed their goal and raised $62,000 with the hurdles of the pandemic!  

Kim and Bob know all too well the struggles and difficulties they face running a marathon or a campaign, but they are grateful and realize it is nothing compared to what so many families are going through. And because of that, and especially for those they know and have met over the years, they will continue their mission with LLS to make an impact in the fight to cure cancer. 
 

Written by LLS Story Volunteer, Grace Oliva