Chumash Casino Resort’s campaign involved selling pink food, drink items
Staff Report
The Chumash Casino Resort’s annual Project Pink campaign, which is in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, raised more than $13,000 for Mission Hope Cancer Center in Santa Maria.
Throughout the month of October, the resort sold pink-colored snacks, sweets, specialty desserts and drinks in its various eateries, with a portion of the proceeds going toward the campaign. This year’s sales totaled $6,815, and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation added a dollar-for-dollar matching grant, resulting in a $13,630 donation to Mission Hope Cancer Center, which is supported by the Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation.
“This past year taught us a lot about resiliency, and watching our local breast cancer patients at Mission Hope Cancer Center bravely face a cancer diagnosis in the midst of a pandemic was nothing short of extraordinary,” said Dr. Colleen O’Kelly Priddy, breast surgeon, Marian Cancer Care. “Our organization is grateful to the Chumash Casino Resort for again supporting local breast cancer patients in a significant way as event proceeds will directly support patient assistance needs, programs and services, and the acquisition of advanced equipment and technology.”
October’s campaign was especially meaningful to the Chumash Casino Resort’s Food and Beverage Department because one of its own, Director Paul Hohe, was on both the giving and receiving end of this fundraiser.
Hohe led a team of imaginative chefs that created an assortment of pink-colored items that were sold during the campaign. He has also witnessed firsthand the great work Mission Hope Cancer Center does for the community.
”In the past, I was involved with this project where we were donating to different cancer-related causes,” Hohe said. “And this year, in fact, I myself was a patient at the place that was going to be benefiting — it truly meant a lot more to me.”
The Mission Hope Cancer Center, with locations in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande, features state-of-the art technologies and treatments for cancer care, supportive services, education and preventative care.
For more information on the Mission Hope Cancer Center, including how to donate, please visit www.missionhopecancercenter.com.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $25 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the tribe’s long-standing tradition of giving. To find out more about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation and its giving programs, visit www.santaynezchumash.org.
