Childhood Cancer Foundation of Southern California Brings Smiles to Families Affected by Cancer

Hundreds of children opened presents, met Santa Claus and made their own crafts at The Childhood Cancer Foundation of Southern California’s (CCFSC) 32nd Annual Christmas Celebration at the Loma Linda Drayson Center on Dec. 8. “The purpose [of the event] is to brighten the life of a child with cancer,” said CCFSC Executive Director Armida Kersey. Kersey shared that over 700 families are registered with the organization and that 471 kids, which includes children with cancer and their siblings, were registered to come to the Christmas celebration. Their ages ranged from birth to 19 years old. Kersey said that the kids who attend are primarily from Loma Linda Children’s Hospital but there are a few from Los Angeles and Orange County. “It gets bigger and bigger every year, which is not good news because more children are having a difficult time,” she said. “You don’t have to have any kind of economic problem to have a child with cancer. Any child could be diagnosed with cancer. Everybody assumes that it’s gonna be someone else’s kid until it happens to them. So it’s a reality.” The evening’s activities included a performance by Mariachi Trompetas de Mexico, followed by a visit from Santa Claus. Every child that attended the event received a gift. Pizza and dessert were also provided for the families to enjoy. Around the perimeter of the room, 18 local businesses and organizations, such as Alexis Victoria Salon & Spa, Riverside Church of Christ, and Inland Center Mall, hosted arts and crafts tables. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association was a major sponsor for the event. “They bring all their own projects,” said Kersey. “That’s the whole community — that’s almost 20 groups that really think this is important, and they do it out of the goodness of their hearts. They get no money for it. They do it for themselves.” The Christmas Celebration is just one of many programs CCFSC puts on throughout the year. There are events for Easter and Halloween, summer picnics, a summer camp and weekly support activities for parents of children with cancer. Kersey said the organization gives out gifts every week. “And I think that’s important, because kids get diagnosed after Christmas," she said. "So if you have a child who’s diagnosed after Christmas, you don’t want to say, 'oh, that’s too bad.' We say, 'we’re there every week for you after Christmas,' so that your child will get a gift every week that they’re in the hospital.”