Community Cares at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge

Sisters Daniela, left, and Sofia Luque are volunteers at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge. They’re holding hand-crocheted blankets donated for chemo patient care kits to give to cancer patients at the Norris Cancer Center Los Angeles.
Photos by Ruth SOWBY

By Ruth SOWBY

 

More than 50 community residents – all volunteers – were busy assembling packages for 120 patients currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cancer. On Thursday, Sept. 5 the CCLCF had long tables and chairs set up with all the donated items: makeup from Sephora, colorful beanies from Glendale residents, hand-crocheted blankets and scarves from volunteers from all over the country and straw baskets to hold the overflow of the chemo patient care kits assembled at the Community Cares event.  

Over 50 volunteers assembled chemo patient care kits at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge. All items, such as beanies, were handmade and donated for cancer patients.

La Crescenta resident Betsy Ferguson is the executive director of CCLCF.  

“I wanted to build a volunteer program at the Center,” said Ferguson. “This program touches so many people who know someone with cancer.” 

Glendale resident and cancer patient Sandra Currano, 65, is undergoing chemotherapy treatments. She was one of over 50 volunteers at the Community Cares event held Thursday, Sept. 5 at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge.

Volunteer activities are held quarterly at the Center. In fact, one of the volunteers assembling the kits is a cancer patient currently undergoing chemotherapy. Glendale resident Sandra Currano, 65, said, “I wanted to do something good to give back to the community.”

“Card Station” volunteers at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge are putting together handmade greeting cards for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Carolyn Dundee, present at the Community Cares event, is the executive director of Small Acts Big Change. Her organization partners with the Norris Cancer Center Los Angeles where the cancer patients are hospitalized. In the next few weeks, Dundee will help Community Center volunteers distribute the kits to the 120 Norris Center Cancer patients.   

Carolyn Dundee, executive director of Small Acts Big Change, collects completed chemo patient care kits for the Community Cares event at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge on Thursday, Sept 5.

Upcoming at the Community Center is its 75th anniversary celebration on Sept. 21.