The Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce has created a new award to recognize an individual who provides an exemplary example of selfless service.
The Andrew Lee Service Beyond Self Award is named for the late Andrew Lee, son of Sarah and Bruce Lee, a former chamber chair, board member, and CEO of Lee Development Group in Silver Spring.
Andrew, who died on Easter Sunday, was diagnosed in 2015 at age 19 with Stage 4 of a rare form of kidney cancer, HLRCC, for which there is no known cure.
He then formed a nonprofit organization, Driven to Cure, both to increase awareness about rare kidney cancer and to raise funds for research.
The campaign featured Andrew’s dream car, a customized Nissan GT-R in orange, the color that represents kidney cancer.
The car and campaign have been featured at numerous car shows and other events around the country, and so far has raised more than $500,000 from donors in 160 countries.
Andrew also participated in eight clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute at NIH, the Yale Smilow Cancer Center, and the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center. He donated his kidneys and tissues for research after his death at age 23.
“This award is for an individual, not a company,” Jane Redicker, the chamber’s president and CEO, said when she announced the award. “It may or may not be presented in each subsequent year but will be reserved only for those individuals who exemplify the kind of life Andrew lived, and the selfless service he offered others not even known to him. It is the chamber’s hope that recognizing Andrew’s service will inspire others to live their lives as he did.”
The inaugural award was given to Andrew during the chamber’s annual awards and installation of officers dinner last week. It was accepted on Andrew’s behalf by his parents.
The Driven to Cure campaign continues and donations can be made at the organization’s website.
Editor’s note: The Source of the Spring is a chamber member.
Top photo, Andrew with the Driven to Cure GT-R. Photo by Mordred Photos courtesy the Lee family. Below from left, outgoing Chamber Chair Robert Scott, Hailey Kellogg, Andrew’s long-term girlfriend, Sarah and Bruce Lee and Chamber President & CEO Jane Redicker. Photo by Adam Lowe, Adam Lowe Creative, courtesy the Lee family.