Local High School Student to be Honored for Championing Asthma Awareness

Lauren Fancher, a senior at Floyd Central High School, will be recognized for her grassroots volunteer work at the 12th annual Breath of Fresh Air Bash on Saturday, October 31, at The Olmsted in Louisville. She will be presented with the esteemed American Lung Association Youth Volunteer of the Year award.

Fancher became passionate about asthma awareness after seeing her younger sister struggle everyday with severe asthma. In collaboration with the Lung Association in Kentucky, she created her own campaign distributing hundreds of asthma action materials to sports coaches in the Floyd County area.

“Almost 80,000 children in Kentucky suffer from asthma and it’s one of the leading causes of school absenteeism accounting for 13 million lost school days nationally,” said Deena Adams, executive director for the Lung Association.

“Asthma can also be a life-threatening disease. That’s why Lauren’s work is so significant, because her work can save lives.”

In addition to her rigorous studies and grassroots work, she is an ambassador level Girl Scout, recently earning her Girl Scout Gold Award titled "A New Win for Coaches of Asthmatics." Fancher plays varsity tennis and is executive member of the Floyd Central Dance Marathon committee for Riley's Children's Hospital. She is involved in the Best Buddies program, serving as a peer buddy with a special needs student and is in her fourth year of coaching a girls’ gymnastics team.

She will be recognized at the event, themed as “A Spooktacular Soiree,” where attendees will drive-in and participate in the ‘touchless’ event from their cars. This means they will view activities on a giant outdoor screen, check-in from their mobile device, drive-through to pick-up their meals and will participate in the live and silent auctions via mobile bidding.

The Breath of Fresh Air Bash is sponsored by the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, and the honorary chair is Dr. Victor van Berkel, thoracic surgeon at the University of Louisville.

The event takes place on Saturday, October 31 at the Olmsted in Louisville. Reserved parking at $150 per vehicle includes two boxed dinners and beverages (additional meals may be purchased), signature cocktails, and trick or treat bags for kids.

Almost 90 cents of every dollar raised goes to the Lung Association’s programs and services, including research, advocacy and public health education. More information, tickets and sponsorship information is available here.