With giving in their hearts during the holiday season, eight groups of donors gathered in front of the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center on the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital campus recently and presented gifts totaling more than $120,000 to benefit the breast imaging center.

Henry Mayo President and CEO Roger Seaver greeted the more than 25 people who attended the donation presentations by expressing his gratitude to the donors for their generous support of the breast imaging center.

“I would like to thank all of the people who have come forward after the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center was created to make sure the center continues to have the most-up-to-date equipment to provide early breast cancer detection.”

Among the donors at the event were Valencia Acura owners Don and Cheri Fleming and their partners, Wayne and Dianne White Crawford, in the 8th Annual Crawford-Fleming Golf Invitational.
The Crawfords and Flemings presented $113,500 in proceeds from the golf invitational and the Valencia Acura/Henry Mayo Breast Cancer Awareness Tea-held at the Valencia Country Club in October.  

“The Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center has provided a wonderful service for women throughout the Santa Clarita Valley and we are proud to do what we can to help this worthwhile cause,” said Don Fleming, whose mother died from cancer.

Cancer has also affected Grainger Branch Manager Dion Beck, whose wife Valerie was diagnosed with breast cancer on June 26. Since then, Valerie Beck underwent a mastectomy and has become Henry Mayo’s 2006 Breast Cancer Awareness testimonial speaker.

Wishing to make a contribution to the breast imaging center on behalf of the Grainger branches he manages in Valencia and Northridge, Dion Beck was pleasantly surprised to learn that branch managers from the company’s Torrance, Commerce, Compton, Oxnard, Los Angeles, Inglewood and Culver City branches had also chosen to donate funds through the company’s local giving program to the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center. Together, the nine branches donated $3,750 to the breast imaging center.

“It was very touching that the other branch managers in our district decided to give money to a cause that affected my family,” Dion Beck said.

Valerie Beck echoed her husband’s sentiments about Grainger’s contribution.

“It’s amazing that a company would support the community like this,” she said. “Grainger believes in giving back to the local community and that is what they did by donating locally to the breast imaging center.”

Also in attendance at the check presentation on behalf of Grainger were: John Nishanian, District Branch Services Manager; Mia Acquino, Account Manager; Pattie Rosolanko, Senior Administrative Assistant for the Los Angeles Region; Sara Boyme, Corporate Brand Manager; and Erin Ptacek, Regional Communications Director.

Susan Bayer, CeCe Frankhuizen and Debbie Hattox of the “Wildflowers and Poppies” branch of Longaberger presented a donation of $3,130 to the breast imaging center from proceeds raised at a luncheon hosted by Susan Bayer, including raffles and a silent auction.

“I got together with a few of my fellow Longaberger Home Consultants Cece Frankhuizen, Debbie Hattox, Myrna Litt and Kristie Leiner,” Bayer said. “We organized a Luncheon at my home in Acton to raise money for the Breast Imaging Center and to educate women about early breast cancer detection. At the luncheon, we had a Breast Cancer Survivor share her story and Terry Bucknall, the Director of Women’s Imaging Services at the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center, gave a presentation about breast cancer awareness. It feels wonderful to contribute to this center because I use this center and I love it.”

For the past three years, Cobblestone Cottage owner Kathy Allie has donated a portion of the sale of each Brighton breast cancer bracelet sold at her store beginning in the month of October, to the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center. On Friday, Allie announced that $1,500 will be donated from those proceeds to the breast imaging center.

Allie, who will celebrate Cobblestone Cottage’s 20th year in business this January, said the $50 breast cancer bracelets, which feature Swarovski crystals and beautiful charms, are still available for purchase at her Valencia gift store. Portions of the proceeds from any additional sales will continue to benefit the breast imaging center.  

“I love this breast imaging center,” Allie said. “It provides women mammograms, who otherwise, would not be able to afford them. To me that is very important.”

Swimmer Gary Greenwood, also known as “Dolphinman,” had swam 18 miles along the perimeter of Castaic’s Upper Lake to raise funds for the breast imaging center.  On Friday, Greenwood was delighted to present $950 raised by his swim to the breast imaging center.   

“I feel blessed that I was physically able to help the women of this Valley by raising funds to benefit the breast imaging center,” Greenwood said.

Valencia Panera Bread General Manager A.J. Amirnezami presented a $471 check to the breast imaging center. The donation came from .25 cents from every pink ribbon bagel sold at the Valencia Panera Bread during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. “I’m very proud to be a part of this cause,” Amirnezami said.

Shelly Jefferis, owner and instructor for Stroller Strides — a total fitness program in which new moms in Santa Clarita can exercise with their babies — presented a $280 check from a fund-raising walk that she recently coordinated.

“I plan to make the fund-raising walk an annual event,” Jefferis said. “It feels great to contribute to such a worthwhile cause.”

Also acknowledged at the check presentations, was Karen Kettering of Longaberger and Acorn Industries, who raised $550 by hosting a luncheon with raffles and a silent auction.

Nine-year breast cancer survivor Dianne White was recognized for donating close to $10,000 to the breast imaging center in October.
Crawford raised the donated funds through her business, Pink Ribbon Gifts. The donation was made in memory of Crawford’s good friend, the late Tom Veloz, who supported Crawford during her cancer treatments and played an integral role in the development of the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center.

The Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center also received more than $4,000 in donations in memory of Tom Veloz.

For more information about donating to the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center, please call the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Health Foundation at (661) 252-8082.

12-29-06