The Wellness Community says thank you

Legions of volunteers have made The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura and our free programs of support, education and hope a reality since we first opened our doors 16 years ago.

"Celebration of Life" included several events in commemoration of National Cancer Survivors Day, including the Celebration of Life 16th anniversary Gala. Thanks to the creativity and tireless efforts of our contributors, this year's event netted $130,000, making it the most successful gala in TWC's history.

We are grateful to have the energy and support of Redonna Carpenter our gala chair and past chair of The Wellness Community board of directors, along with gala committee members: Cathy Gerrard, Ginny Kreuzberger, Daphne Laraneta, Robin Martino, Nora Tompkins, Starlet Vinci, Harriet Wasserman, Judie Williams and a cadre of dedicated volunteers. We extend our warmest appreciation to the master of ceremonies, KCAL 9's Rick Chambers, and celebrity guest Sheena Easton.

Special commendation goes to our event sponsors and vendors, whose generosity made this event such a milestone for TWC: Event sponsor Dole Foods; Platinum sponsors Amgen Oncology, Baxter and Eva & Glenn Dubin; Gold sponsor First Data Independent Sales; Silver sponsors Gene Haas Foundation and the Cassar family; Bronze sponsors Bank of America, Pacific Western Bank, Blue Cross of California, Contract Employment Management and Macerich/The Oaks mall; Copper sponsors city of Thousand Oaks, Greenberg & Bass, and Radiation & Oncology Centers. Vendors: Wayne Foster Entertainment, Kiwanis of Thousand Oaks and the National Charity League.

Thanks to our contributors, we can ensure that everyone in our community who has been touched by cancer has access to programs that provide them support, education and hope. Suzanne Drace Wellness Community president