It would not be easy to find someone who has made a bigger impact on the lives of others than Brayden Smith has.

After spending the majority of his young life raising money to support the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Smith, a graduate of Forestville High School this past year, surpassed his goal of $25,000 raised for cancer research and treatment.

“It just means a lot to me because a lot of people have had their family affected by cancer,” Smith said. “It means a lot to be able to go out and do something.”

Smith himself has witnessed multiple family members battle cancer throughout his lifetime.

Brayden Smith, left, is Forestville’s all-time leader in fundraising for Bald for Bucks with approximately $14,000 raised. Photo by Braden Carmen

“Cancer sucks. I’ve had my brother’s mom affected by cancer, aunts, uncles … it’s not just my family,” Smith said, as he looked over at bleachers full of supporters at the annual Bald for Bucks fundraising event at Forestville Elementary School earlier this year. “Everybody in this auditorium knows at least one person affected by cancer.”

In elementary school, Smith consistently participated in Bald for Bucks each year, through seventh grade, when he “aged out” of the event. Smith has returned to witness the event in the years since, and spoke to the crowd at the latest event this past year.

“When I got to fourth grade, I said I really want to take this serious,” Smith said. He raised approximately $14,000 through Bald for Bucks over the years, which ranks atop the school’s list of all-time earners.

But through Bald for Bucks, Smith was only getting started with his charitable efforts. Smith later became a member of the YRoswell Street Team and frequently participated in events like the Ride for Roswell to continue to support the cause he was so inspired to contribute to. The Ride for Roswell event, one of the nation’s largest fundraising events for cancer research, raised over $5.6 million this year from sponsors of over 8,000 participants in the event.

“It’s really an amazing thing to be a part of,” Smith said of the event. This year, Smith elected to ride on his own, as the event itself conflicted with his high school graduation.

Smith also held “can drives” to raise money through Can Kings Can and Bottle Redemption Center. In his most recent drive, Smith collected over 40,000 cans. On social media, Brayden’s mother, Karen Bradigan Smith, offered thanks to Marcus Promber, owner of Can Kings, and the staff at both Can Kings locations “for always working with Brayden to make his fundraiser such a success.”

Through all of Smith’s efforts over the years, he set an ultimate goal of $25,000 raised for Roswell Park. Now off to college to study Business Administration at SUNY Geneseo, Smith is proud to have met his goal.

Smith is grateful, not just for the money he helped raise, but also for the impact that fundraising for such a worthy cause has had on him throughout the years.

“The joy that fundraising brought me along with the countless opportunities that I was able to experience was nothing short of amazing. It’s something I’ll forever be grateful that I started doing,” Smith said. “… I appreciate every single person who helped me in my journey.”

Smith noted that even those who were unable to donate to his cause helped by sharing posts on social media and through the support he received. “They all collectively helped out equally,” Smith said.

Smith said while in college, he will be limited in how active his charitable efforts can be. However, he acknowledged, “I’ll always be advocating for cancer research.”