Giving Back By Sabrina Samedi
“It’s my birthday and I can give away if I want to!”
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hat was the exact sentiment that Sophie Helfend, Amanda Feenberg, Sophie Cohan and Ashley Bennish chanted on their 14th birthdays. As a group, these girls planned a birthday bash where, in lieu of receiving gifts, they asked that their 160 guests donate funds to the Mattel Children’s Hospital for terminally ill children. “The girls feel like they are blessed in so many ways and wanted to give some of that back to people that really need it,” says Ivette Helfend, Sophie’s mother. The party was a huge success -- the girls raised $6,000. These A.C. Stelle eighth graders were more than eager to deliver the funds to the hospital June 16. “It was so special because the idea came 100 percent from them,” Helfend says. “Maybe this (donation) can inspire others to give to the less fortunate. It doesn’t matter how old we are, everyone can make a difference if they just try. It could change someone’s life.”
aa Logan and the Calabasas Country Club
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ogan Nobriga is not your average 9-year old boy; he is fighting cancer for the second time, and the Calabasas Country Club is happy to lend a helping hand.
Owner Gene Axelrod and the board of directors unanimously voted to donate $1,000 to Logan and his family. Being a three-time cancer survivor himself, board vice president Spencer Shiffman could not resist reaching out to Logan. Showing his support, the club’s head golf professional, Ken Simonds, taught Logan how to putt on the greens. Logan was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at 4 and began his second set of treatments in May 2013. Battling ALL full-time has hindered mother Krysha’s ability to work. “It goes without saying that the donation is a tremendous help,” she said. “When meeting Logan, I thought he looked pretty darn good,” Shiffman says. “I believe that he can beat this disease and live a long fruitful life! People come together in crisis, and if we can make a difference, even in a small way, it’s worth every bit of it.”
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Calabasas Style