Cancer survivor Fran Drescher featured at Pomona Valley hospital fundraiser

By Suzanne Sproul, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

For many years, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Foundation supporters have gathered each fall to watch cancer survivors take center stage.

The annual fashion show/luncheon has been a powerful celebration of triumph and resiliency. It also has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to help individuals try and move past their ordeals. This year, the foundation is taking a new approach to the fundraiser in observance of the 20th anniversary of The Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Cancer Care Center, the main beneficiary.

Comedienne and actress Fran Drescher will be the special guest speaker at the “Let’s Do Brunch and Celebrate Together” event on Oct. 12.

“This is the perfect year to do something new. We want to keep this as a celebration. We’ll be highlighting the great successes of the center during the past 20 years and we will honor the Lewis family for their wonderful contribution in making the center a reality,” said Glenda Ferguson, director of development for the Foundation.

In addition, the event will help kick off a new campaign to promote the creation of a Caring Circle of donors who contribute $1,000. Proceeds from the brunch will go to the center’s endowment fund, which provides resources, education and wellness programs for everyone touched by cancer.

That number includes Drescher, who is a cancer survivor. She starred in the very successful CBS television comedy, “The Nanny,” and while her appearance surely will produce some chuckles, her message will be serious – America needs to spend more attention to preventing cancer. She knows what she’s talking about.

Tickets for the Oct. 12, cancer survivor celebration are $100 per person. The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by brunch at 10:30 a.m. and the program by Drescher. The event will be at the Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona. For more information, call 909-865-9139.

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