Community supports local cancer patients during annual Day of Hope fundraiser
Dave Alley
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The 12th Annual Day of Hope fundraiser was held Wednesday across the Santa Maria Valley and Five Cities areas.
Starting at 7 a.m., dozens of volunteer teams wearing bright orange vests could be seen at numerous intersections, parking lots, and other gathering places to sell special edition $1 Santa Maria Times newspapers.
“Everybody’s coming together and giving back,” said Rachel Buchan, with Team Fidelity at the busy intersection of Broadway and Betteravia Road.” Every corner is covered. The people coming by are on their way to work and are glad to give. It’s just fun and exciting!”
All of the proceeds brought in during the fundraiser will directly benefit patient services and programs at Mission Hope, which operates two centers – its flagship facility in Santa Maria, and in Arroyo Grande inside the Matthew Will Memorial Medical Center.
“Day of Hope is a very, very big day for me,” said cancer survivor Espie Valenzuela, who appeared on the front page of the thousands of Santa Maria Times that were sold. “Mission Hope is a part of my heart will always be a part of my heart. Not enough words to say how how beautiful it is, the staff, the doctors, anything that is inside Mission Hope is wonderful. I was scared when I was first diagnosed with cancer. Coming inside Mission Hope, they did everything possible to give me the treatment and help me trust the process and they basically saved my life. It gave me all the love and compassion that I needed.”
Since it was first held in 2014, the Day of Hope has raised just under $2.7 million, including $409,000 last year.
“People in Santa Maria have a big heart for charity and they know that this money goes to a great cause, and the people who really need it,” said Rotary Club of Santa Maria volunteer James Stoddard, while selling papers at Broadway and Betteravia Road. “I’m out here every year, helping raise money for Mission Hope, but this year, it’s a little more personal for me because I was recently diagnosed with cancer, and so this year, I know that the funding is going to the people just like me who need help.”
Teams included volunteers who represented loved ones or friends fighting cancer, businesses, schools, organizations, government, and other various groups.
“It’s amazing because we have so many teams throughout the community, and yet everybody’s raising for the same exact funding,” said Cynthia Maldonado, Mission Hope Cancer Center Outreach Supervisor. “It’s for the cancer patients, so although you see all of these different teams and we’re being competitive and lighthearted and having a wonderful time, every single dollar that we’re all raising goes right back to the cancer center for the patients.”
Throughout the day, Dignity Health said 11,000 newspapers were sold.
While the newspaper sales have ended, donations are still being accepted online through Friday, Sept 12.
Donations can be made online by clicking here to access the official Day of Hope website.
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