ANNUAL EVENT SPREADS ITS WINGS FOR 10TH ANNIVERSARY BY JULIA SHAPERO
A
cancer support organization’s annual Ladies Night Out event will last an entire week this year. Cancer Support Community Pasadena will be hosting Ladies Week Out from October 26 to October 31 for the 10th anniversary of its Ladies Night Out event. CSCP is a nonprofit organization that provides free programs to families facing cancer, said Patricia Ostiller, the executive director of the organization. The organization offers free support groups led by licensed therapists, educational workshops and healthy lifestyle classes to address the emotional and social needs of cancer patients, she added. “Our primary goal is to ensure that nobody in the San Gabriel Valley goes through cancer alone,” Ostiller said. For the past 10 years, Ladies Night Out has typically been held at the beginning of October each year to honor the women who have been affected by cancer, said events manager Kim Ferreira. However, with the coronavirus pandemic, CSCP is unable to hold the event inperson in its standard format, leading them to create a week-long event instead, Ferreira said. “We decided that it was time for us to be able to give back to the community that has given so much to us in the past,” she said. “So, we have built an entire week of celebration in order to do so.” Each day throughout Ladies Week Out, three to 10 different restaurants and shops in the area will give back to CSCP whenever someone shops or dines in their location and mentions CSCP or brings a flier, Ferreira said. She said to make the events inclusive to their members facing cancer, they are also offering options to shop online. The organization has also produced passports that can be purchased, which list the shops where people can receive stamps as they attend events and dine in the restaurants, Ferreira said. At the end of the week, participants will have the chance to win prizes, she added. “This is our way of hopefully being able to bring new faces and new customers to the shops, as well as still being able to have the fundraiser that we need to have this year in order for us to continue to provide the free services that (we offer),” Ferreira said. Since they also wanted people to be able to get active, Ferreira said they will be hosting a virtual run, walk or ride. “Whether you’re walking around the block, or you’re biking 50 miles, whatever it is, all we need you to do is just tag us (and) shoot pictures of your progress,” she said. “And then that gives people the chance to get active in this quarantined life, where we’re all just locked down at home.” CSCP will also hold a Halloween bingo on October 31 over Zoom to celebrate both Halloween and the event, Ferreira added. “The goal of this event was to do something a little bit different, celebrate our community, celebrate Cancer Support Community, and then also give people an option to be able to do something in the socially distanced world that we’re in right now,” she said. Ostiller added that it is particularly difficult to face cancer during COVID-19. “Imagine receiving a cancer diagnosis in the midst of a pandemic,” she said. “It’s been a challenging year for all of us in Pasadena, in the world. But imagine facing cancer during COVID-19.” While most people have experienced isolation this year, Ostiller said that cancer patients are even more isolated, given that they are more vulnerable to COVID-19 because of their compromised immune system. The coronavirus pandemic has also caused disruptions and delays in the treatment of cancer patients and led many people not to have preventive screenings, she said. Ostiller added that health care providers are now anticipating a surge in later stage cancer diagnoses next year. She said that the funds from Ladies Week Out are key to allowing them to continue to provide their services, including 12 weekly support groups facilitated by licensed professionals and over 100 educational workshops and healthy lifestyle classes per month. “Pandemic or not, cancer is not stopping,” Ostiller said. “And we need to continue to have the funds so that we can support these families who are facing cancer in our community.” n 6 PASADENA WEEKLY | 10.22.20
PASADENA FATHER BRINGS THE CREEPY HOLIDAY INTO HOMES BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
A
Pasadena father has developed an innovative way for children to safely experience Halloween during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even extend the spooky celebration throughout the month of October. Inspired by his 8-year-old-son, Miles, Rob Mitchell has launched Halloweenville at mytrickortreat.com, an online destination where children can decorate their own page, complete activities and play games while safely accumulating candy from family and friends. “It started toward the end of July,” Miles Mitchell, left, inspired his father, Rob Mitchell, right, to Mitchell said. “We have him home bring Halloween into homes virtually with mytrickortreat.com. every day and we’re trying to figure out how to entertain him. I thought it would be fun to involve his family and friends online. “Once I saw the domain was available, I figured out how to make it work.” In Halloweenville, children can reveal their costumes, create their own avatar, play games such as Moto X3M Spooky Land, build their own scary Halloweenville and watch their personal trick-or-treat bag fill with candy. Family and friends are invited to purchase candy for virtual trick-or-treat bags using a private code, with snack-size candy available in six different bundles. When their bag is full, parents can have it delivered to their home. “Halloweenville is a safe space to celebrate Halloween during these unprecedented times,” said Mitchell, a part-time artist who sells health insurance for Cigna. “Parents want a safe alternative to traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, and this not only provides that but offers additional Halloween-focused activities to help children celebrate the holiday for a longer period of time. Miles is already excited to watch his virtual trick-or-treat bag fill up with candy and read messages from friends and family.” Kids can sign up for free and then parents send a link to family and friends. Once they hit 150 candies, it’s free shipping. Those who don’t quite hit 150 must pay $7 for shipping and handling. My Treat Bag LLC helps parents and children safely celebrate all occasions, including birthdays, milestones and other holidays. Through the process of creating Halloweenville, it quickly became apparent to him that this format serves a purpose beyond one holiday. “Parents and children are looking for new forms of positive interaction and entertainment with their close friends and family,” Mitchell said. “With or without COVID-19, many of us live busy lives or are separated by distance. My Treat Bag LLC will offer an effective way to stay connected through all of life’s occasions and celebrate each other.” Parents can register their children for Halloweenville at mytrickortreat.com. Once registered, children can begin creating their avatars and building their own Halloweenville using backgrounds, characters and props. n Photo courtesy Rob Mitchell
LADIES NIGHT OUT
VIRTUAL HALLOWEEN
