Full Circle
Robert Braithwaite, president and CEO, Hoag
More than 300 guests gathered at the Balboa Bay Resort on May 29 for the 38th Annual Circle 1000 Founders Celebration Brunch. The event, hosted by returning co-chairs and philanthropists Mary Buckingham and her daughter Lacy Robertson, raised more than $1.3 million in support of the Hoag Family Cancer Institute. The brunch also celebrated the donors, friends, Hoag physicians, staff and volunteer leaders who continue to champion leading-edge cancer care in Orange County.
Event underwriters included the JW and Sandra L Mitchell Foundation; Ginny and Peter Ueberroth, founders, Peter and Ginny Ueberroth Family Foundation; the Kling Family Foundation by Jackie Glass; Vicki and Bill Booth, philanthropists; the Frome Family Foundation; and Melinda and Tony Moiso, chairman and chief executive officer, Rancho Mission Viejo.
Keynote speaker Mark Herzlich, a former professional football player with the New York Giants’ 2012 Super Bowl championship team and author of the memoir “What It Takes: Fighting for My Life and the Love of the Game,” shared his story of overcoming Ewing’s sarcoma. Robert Braithwaite, president and CEO, Hoag Hospital, also addressed the audience and announced the appointment of Steven Grossman, MD, Ph.D., to the Grace E. Hoag Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair, Hoag Family Cancer Institute.
In the Pink
(L to R) Phil Markert, director, Albertsons Companies; Carrie Strom, former senior vice president, AbbVie; Sol Reyes-Roberts, retired nurse, breast cancer survivor, founder, Cafecitos Hope; Dr. January Lopez, radiologist, medical director, Breast Imaging, Hoag Breast Center; Paula Schneider, president and CEO, Susan G. Komen; Victoria Wolodzko Smart, senior vice president, mission, Susan G. Komen
Hoag, ServiceNow, Allergan Aesthetics, Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions Foundation, Ingram Micro, Kaiser Permanente, Pacific Premier Bank and Experian were among the many sponsors of the Susan G. Komen Orange County Pink Tie Party, which raised more than $475,000. The May 10 event at VEA Newport Beach united survivors, advocates, medical professionals and supporters for an evening of inspiration and generosity. The funds raised will support Susan G. Komen’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to care.
The Class of 2025 OC Pink Tie Partners was introduced during the event, joining 80 current local leaders committed to Komen’s cause. New honorees include Phil Markert, director, Albertsons Companies; Dr. January Lopez, radiologist, medical director, Breast Imaging, Hoag Breast Center; Sol Reyes-Roberts, retired nurse, breast cancer survivor, founder, Cafecitos Hope; and Carrie Strom, former senior vice president, AbbVie, and ex-president of Global Allergan Aesthetics.
Throughout the evening, guests were reminded that 1 in 8 women will face a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime. Eight breast cancer survivors shared their personal stories, emphasizing the urgency of continued support and research. Paula Schneider, president and CEO, Susan G. Komen, and Victoria Wolodzko Smart, senior vice president of mission, Susan G. Komen, also addressed the crowd, underscoring the organization’s mission to end breast cancer forever.
Feeding the Soul
(L to R) Wayne Stickney, chief development officer, Second Harvest Food Bank; Lora Hebda, vice president, community relations, Bank of America; Florita Rodriguez, vice president, business banking relationship manager, Bank of America; Dillon Cromwell, product acquisition coordinator, Second Harvest Food Bank; Veronica Slavik, member, Harvesters; A.G. Kawamura, founding chair, Solutions for Urban Agriculture; Jassel Kaye, member, Harvesters; Monica Wood, member, Harvesters; Gail Haft, member, Harvesters; Shari Battle, senior vice president, market executive, Bank of America; Randy Caruso, vice president, senior business control specialist, Bank of America
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County celebrated the grand re-opening of its Founders Farm program on June 13 at its new home, Southwinds Farm & Gardens in Irvine. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and opportunities for volunteer service, spotlighting the role philanthropy plays in addressing food insecurity across Orange County.
Major support for Founders Farm comes from Bank of America and Harvesters, a group of philanthropic women who raised funds to support Second Harvest’s mission to end hunger by providing access to nutritious food through food distribution, education and advocacy.
Founders Farm provides fresh, locally grown produce to a monthly average of 442,000 children, families and older adults experiencing food insecurity. Founders Farm benefits from key agricultural partners, including Solutions for Urban Agriculture and Orange County Produce. The move to Southwinds Farm & Gardens was made possible thanks to the property’s owners, who are underwriting water and rent and demonstrating that edible landscapes can be both productive and beautiful.
Bits & Pieces
In April, the MemorialCare Ragnar Relay team, comprised of 12 primary care and specialty care physicians and led by Arnold Cuenca, D.O., family medicine physician, MemorialCare Medical Group—Mission Viejo and Tracy Kasten, RN, nursing supervisor, MemorialCare Medical Group—San Juan Capistrano, joined up to conquer the Ragnar SoCal Relay, a 191.3-mile overnight challenge stretching from San Diego to Huntington Beach, in honor of teamwork and to bring awareness of physician burnout … Laguna Playhouse proudly salutes its 2024–2025 Season Sponsors South Coast Plaza, Haskell & White and Delectable OC along with its Foundation Sponsors, including Assistance League Laguna Beach, Capital Group, Orange County Community Foundation, FOA Foundation, Peter and Ginny Ueberroth Family Foundation, O.L. Halsell Foundation, U.S. Bank, Hearst Foundation and the Shubert Foundation, whose support helps keep the arts alive and thriving … Now in its sixth year, the GSF Foundation, which is Golden State Foods’ associate-run nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in need, is expanding its national Focus on Food program in Irvine by donating $10,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, providing the equivalent of 30,000 meals as part of its mission to fight food insecurity.