Thousands Shine Brightly For A Cure

 As the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to curing blood cancers and ensuring access to treatments for patients, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), depends upon a national force of over 50,000 supporters to accomplish their mission: cure blood cancers and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.  This on-going support from an impressive network of engaged volunteers greatly contributes to LLS maintaining a national average of 74 cents of every dollar donated going directly to advance its mission.  Locally, the California Southland Chapter is even more impressive, with 86 cents of every dollar raised funding critical research and helping those in need.
Among the tens of thousands of national supporters working relentlessly to find a cure are over 4,000 individuals from the San Fernando Valley determined to make a positive impact by getting involved in the fight against cancer.  On November 5, 2016, at Bridgeport Park in Santa Clarita, 1,000 of these passionate supporters came together as a community carrying illuminated lanterns to shine a bright light on blood cancers in the annual Santa Clarita Light the Night Walk.  LLS’s Light the Night Walk is a grass-roots, family-friendly, community-oriented fundraising and awareness campaign that funds over $8 million in local cutting-edge research to cure blood cancers, advance new therapies, and provide local patient support, financial assistance, and advocacy.  Walks take place annually in over 180 locations across the United States with Walks throughout Southern California every fall.
The 2016 Santa Clarita Walk was a great success, raising over $115,000 in support of the LLS mission because of outstanding support from corporate teams such as Quest Diagnostics and BMC, new and returning family and friends teams like the Hodgkin’s Haters and Team Tyler Cordova, retail partners like Burlington and PizzaRev, and incredible local sponsors like Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.
One very special family and friends team participated in the event for the sixth time. Team Family and Friends, captained by Susan Winer, with her husband by her side, spans three generations of the Winer family including their son, Eric, daughter-in-law, Heidi, and grandsons Everett and Zachary, who again walked in honor of Susan’s husband, Marshall Winer, a 14-year chronic lymphocytic leukemia survivor.  The entire Winer family, along with their friends, are truly relentless to find a cure for blood cancers and this year raised $4,047 bringing their Light the Night six-year fundraising team total to over $12,000!
You too can become a shining light like the Winer Family in 2017 by supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!  Contact the local California Southland LLS Chapter at 310-342-5800 or visit www.lightthenight.org/calso to learn more.