{"id":437583,"date":"2026-08-19T19:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T19:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/437583\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T19:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T19:56:08","slug":"celebrate-wellness-gala-raises-230000-for-free-cancer-support-programs-in-south-bay-daily-breeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/437583\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrate Wellness gala raises $230,000 for free cancer support programs in South Bay \u2013 Daily Breeze"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fringes, sequins, feathers and fur filled the ballroom\u00a0 at the westdrift hotel in Manhattan Beach on Saturday, Aug. 15, for the Cancer Support Community South Bay\u2019s 29th annual Celebrate Wellness<\/a> gala \u2014 which this year, had a \u201cGreat Gatsby\u201d theme.<\/p>\n

The fundraiser was intended to allow people who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families to attend support sessions free of charge.<\/p>\n

More than 250 people attended the event, which raised more than $230,000 through ticket sales, and silent and live auctions.<\/p>\n

Proceeds from the gala will help fund more than 200 free programs that provide emotional and social support, education, and hope for cancer patients and their families throughout the South Bay, Long Beach and Orange County.<\/p>\n

\"Cancer<\/p>\n

Cancer Support Community South Bay Executive Director and CEO Jillian Van Leuven with Manhattan Beach Mayor Joe Franklin and his 1955 Ford Thunderbird at the 29th annual Celebrate Wellness gala Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 at the westdrift hotel in Manhattan Beach. (Photo by David Plakos)\n<\/p>\n

\"Guests<\/p>\n

Guests browse silent auction items during the Cancer Support Community South Bay\u2019s 29th annual Celebrate Wellness Gala Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 at the westdrift hotel in Manhattan Beach. (Photo by David Plakos)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cancer<\/p>\n

Cancer Support Community South Bay participant Sean Fistonich shares how the organization\u2019s free support programs helped him through his cancer journey at the 29th annual Celebrate Wellness gala Saturday, Aug. 15 at the westdrift hotel in Manhattan Beach. (Photo by David Plakos)\n<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of Cancer Support Community South Bay\u2019s Youth Leadership Council (left to right): Klara Mertz, Arya Abbasian Kashi, Ava Abbasian Kashi, Aubrey Bradford, Liam Hartigan. The students were recognized at the 29th annual Celebrate Wellness gala for helping raise awareness of the organization\u2019s free programs in local schools and throughout the community.\n<\/p>\n

\"Cancer<\/p>\n

Cancer survivor and CSC South Bay participant Sean Fistonich and his mother, Sharon Fistonich, a CSC South Bay volunteer, welcome guests at the 29th annual Celebrate Wellness gala Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 at the westdrift hotel in Manhattan Beach. (Photo by David Plakos)\n<\/p>\n

\"Attendees<\/p>\n

Attendees gather for a group photo on the dance floor at the Cancer Support Community South Bay\u2019s 29th annual Celebrate Wellness Gala Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 at the Westdrift Hotel in Manhattan Beach. (Photo by David Plakos)\n<\/p>\n

\"KTLA\u2019s<\/p>\n

KTLA\u2019s Wendy Burch announces the winning Golden Ticket number during the Cancer Support Community South Bay\u2019s 29th annual Celebrate Wellness gala Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 at the westdrift hotel in Manhattan Beach. (Photo by David Plakos)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 7<\/p>\n

Cancer Support Community South Bay Executive Director and CEO Jillian Van Leuven with Manhattan Beach Mayor Joe Franklin and his 1955 Ford Thunderbird at the 29th annual Celebrate Wellness gala Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 at the westdrift hotel in Manhattan Beach. (Photo by David Plakos)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Sean Fistonich, a cancer survivor who participates in the CSCSB\u2019s programs, took the stage on Saturday to share the impact of finding community through his cancer journey.<\/p>\n

When Fistonich first heard about the Cancer Support Community, he said, the information went in one ear and out the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut every night I went to bed, that brochure was staring at me,\u201d Fistonich said. \u201cI finally went, \u2018What can it hurt?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He arrived at his first meeting petrified to talk about himself, he said \u2014 but \u201cthey made me feel great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone was going through it themselves,\u201d Fistonich said. \u201cThey heard my story and gave me advice on things I didn\u2019t know was coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought it was going to be a one-off meeting, Fistonich added, but he kept going. And even after recovering from cancer, Fistonich continues giving back to the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin moments of my first Zoom meeting, I felt a wave of comfort I hadn\u2019t felt in months,\u201d Fistonich said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t find myself leaving because I knew it was my turn to to help somebody else as they\u2019ve helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A golden ticket $100 drawing also took place. Each year, the winner of that drawing gets to choose from six substantial prizes, such as Lakers suite tickets and a ride in a Goodyear blimp. Whichever prizes the raffle winner doesn\u2019t choose are auctioned off to the rest of the crowd.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Paul Miyahara, whose wife and two daughters have survived cancer<\/a>, won the golden ticket raffle. He chose a five-day trip to a Montana ranch for 14 \u2014 noting that he plans a big family vacation each year.<\/p>\n

This year, there was also a \u201cwine pull\u201d behind a gold speakeasy curtain, where guests could spin a wheel for $20 and win bottles of wine<\/p>\n

Jazzy, Roaring Twenties renditions of more modern songs played throughout the night.<\/p>\n

Members of the CSC South Bay\u2019s Youth Leadership Council also took the stage to share what inspired them to join the council, what they have learned through the program, and why they are passionate about raising awareness of CSC South Bay\u2019s free programs in local schools and throughout the community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fringes, sequins, feathers and fur filled the ballroom\u00a0 at the westdrift hotel in Manhattan Beach on Saturday, Aug.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437584,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[32309,7,4063,23,131,133,132,137,20741,173610,173611,173612,58209],"class_list":["post-437583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-beach-cities","tag-california","tag-fundraiser","tag-local-news","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-manhattan-beach","tag-tbr-hermosa-beach","tag-tbr-manhattan-beach","tag-tbr-redondo-beach","tag-top-stories-tbr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}