New Name...Same Mission

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A Celebration of Life: Lisa Allison, CPA

Longtime Board member Lisa Allison, CPA is one of four honorees to be recognized at the Evening of Hope Gala on May 4. For details on this special event, click here.

Sixteen years ago, hope made Lisa Allison the steadfast champion of TWCVV that she is today. When her dear friend was diagnosed with prostate cancer and given months to live, he started attending a Wellness Community support group. The dramatic change Lisa saw in her friend’s outlook convinced her that TWCVV was a special place. “I saw how much hope TWCVV gave my friend and his family during a dark time, and I thought if this is what they’ve done for them, I want to give back to TWCVV.”

A CPA in a thriving accounting firm, Lisa decided to contribute her financial skills to the TWCVV Board of Directors, where she has served on the Finance Committee for sixteen years. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Board and has served multiple terms as Treasurer. “Lisa's accounting experience, expertise and very human perspective have truly helped the board and our mission,” says Board Chair Steve Spector. He adds “it seems every bit as meaningful the way Lisa's personality, frankness and general optimism have shown many of us how to enjoy and best carry on what we are doing as a board.”

Board colleague Brian Layfield was introduced to TWCVV by Lisa, and echoes Steve’s appreciation. “Lisa is an incredibly balanced person whose expertise provides invaluable insight into the ‘business’ of the organization while her exceptional optimism and energy help TWCVV continue to deliver on its mission,” says Brian.

Lisa is the managing partner of Lippe, Hellie, Hoffer & Allison, LLP, where she has worked for thirteen years. She has more than 25 years of experience in the accounting field and serves as an adjunct professor at her alma mater, California Lutheran University. In 2003 Lisa was honored as one of the Top 40 under 40 for her outstanding professional achievement by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.

In addition to TWCVV, Lisa serves on the Finance Committee of United Way of Ventura County and volunteers on other committees of various charitable organizations. Lisa enjoys spending time with family and friends, attending symphonies and musical theater, and caring for her two rescue companions, Barley and Blue.

The best celebration of life - the friend who first made Lisa aware of TWCVV, has defied the odds and continues to live a happy and wonderful life, which is what HOPE is all about.

We Welcome Our New Board Members

Leonard T. Greenlee and Pam Kehaly were recently elected to The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura Board of Directors. The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura (TWCVV) is an independently governed and funded affiliate of the international Cancer Support Community, serving more than 3,000 community members affected by cancer each year with programs in the San Fernando Valley and throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

Elected to the Board in November, Leonard T. Greenlee is Facility Management Director at Baxter Healthcare Corporation in Westlake Village. He has held this leadership role for over ten years, and has been with Baxter for nearly 30 years. Greenlee holds a bachelor of science degree in computer information systems from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a master of science degree in telecommunications management from Golden Gate University. He served as Staff Sargeant in the United States Marine Corps for eight years. Originally from Milwaukee, Greenlee resides in Moorpark with his wife, Karla. He and Karla have three sons, three daughters-in-law and five grandchildren.

Greenlee says he has always found it rewarding to “serve a higher purpose than myself” through his work on the Boards of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, Greater Conejo Valley Community Foundation, and United Way of Ventura County. When cancer affected his own family, Greenlee saw the importance of an organization like The Wellness Community. “I lost both an aunt and uncle to cancer and I can now see how they and my cousin, their only child, would have benefitted from having access to the types of resources provided by The Wellness Community,” says Greenlee.

Pam Kehaly was elected to the Board in December. Kehaly is President of Anthem Blue Cross, the largest health benefits company in California. Previously, she was president of national accounts for Aetna. Kehaly received a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from California State University, Stanislaus. She is on the board of the California Association of Health Plans, the California Chamber of Commerce, and LA Adaptive Business Leaders. Additionally, she is joining the newly formed Advisory Board for the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC, and is an active member of the Los Angeles Division of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Kehaly lives in Westlake Village with her husband and two sons.

Kehaly’s close friend battled breast cancer and passed away at age 30, and her mother fought the same disease and has had no evidence of cancer for the past ten years. Both experiences, along with meeting cancer patients and their families in her role at Anthem Blue Cross, have given Kehaly the desire to help make a difference. “As part of my job, I see the devastation cancer wreaks on people and their families,” she says. “Involvement with The Wellness Community gives me a way to help in a meaningful and constructive way.”

Planned Giving: An Expert Weighs In

‘Tis the season…to celebrate and to give back. One lasting way you can give back to a favorite charity is by making a Planned Gift. Attorney Ken Kossoff of Panitz & Kossoff, LLP is an Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law Specialist. He is also a long-time TWCVV Board member and has been kind enough to share his expertise on Planned Giving and whether it may be an option for you.

I very much encourage clients to consider planned giving. Not all people do so. However, for those who believe their children or other family members are getting enough or have received enough during their lives, or for those people who have no children, gifts to charities are a wonderful way to leave a legacy – even if you want to do so anonymously. And for taxable estates, charitable giving allows the donor to control where their money goes, rather than leaving that to the US government to decide.

There are a number of planned giving options. Before I discuss them, I want to remind everyone that a gift during one’s life, whether in cash, appreciated stock (so the donor does not have to pay capital gains taxes), real estate or other property, is a great way not only to support a charity, but to see how the charity manages and applies your gifts so you can get some sense of how the charity will manage a planned gift that is managed and spent after your passing.

Outright Gift: In terms of planned gifts, most charities would prefer an outright gift to the charity’s general fund. This can mean naming TWCVV as a beneficiary of your trust or will, as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, or, as discussed below, as a beneficiary of a retirement account.

Gifts from Retirement Accounts: One recent form of gift that has been allowed by legislation, but will only be available for a short time unless extended by Congress, is to allow people to make a gift from their Individual Retirement Accounts directly, during life, so that the taxpayer does not first have to take a distribution from the IRA, pay taxes on the distribution, and then make the donation. There are a lot of people with substantial retirement accounts, and when the money is taken from those accounts, it will be subject to income tax – whether taken by the account participant (the person who put money into it) or by their heirs after the participant’s death.

With a substantial estate, retirement accounts also can be hit with the estate tax, which means that a retirement account can be decimated by the income and estate tax hit. Thus, charities make good beneficiaries of retirement accounts, because charities will not have to pay income tax on the amounts received, and for taxable estates, the participant’s estate will get an estate tax deduction for the value of the gift. It is important to make sure you consult with your attorney, CPA or financial advisor, because rules regarding retirement accounts are complicated.

Charitable Remainder and Lead Trusts: One popular gift structure is called a charitable remainder trust (CRT). During life, the owner donates an appreciated asset (stocks, real estate, etc.) to a trust they create, and gets a tax deduction for the donation. The CRT pays no capital gains taxes and invests all of the donated property for the donor; if the donor had sold the assets and invested them herself, the amount invested would be after capital gains taxes that the CRT does not have to pay. During the life of the donors, or for a term of years, the income generated by the trust is paid to the donor. A CRT leaves the “remainder” – what’s left after the death of the donors or the term of years – to a charity.

Finally, for people with more than $1,000,000 to donate, private foundations can be very useful. Putting aside the good that large amounts of money can do those in need, private foundations provide families with the opportunity to involve younger generations in identifying worthy charities, and overseeing how the charitable dollars are spent.

After hearing about the many charitable options – and these are not all of them – some people employ one of them, others employ more than one, and others employ none of them and just write a check to the charity. Any decision involving a substantial gift should be made in consultation with your professional advisors.

To learn more about leaving a legacy to support the mission of TWCVV, please click here or contact president Suzanne Drace at 805-371-0417.

Remembering Nancy

In October of 2006, one year after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Nancy Colton wanted to give back to the fight against cancer. Along with her mother, Harriet Wasserman, Nancy decided to hold a Breast Cancer Awareness luncheon to raise funds for a cancer support charity. Six years later, that luncheon has grown into a beloved tradition of generosity and a way for Harriet to uphold the memory of her daughter, who we sadly lost in 2009.

On October 22, Nearly 80 women gathered at the home of Harriet’s friends Debbie and Scott Steinhart for the Sixth Annual Luncheon. The group included longtime friends, family members, and fellow support group members from The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura (TWCVV). This year, the funds raised at the luncheon were donated to TWCVV, where Nancy and Harriet found hope and friendship through support groups, yoga, and other programs when Nancy was going through treatment. So that more of the funds from the luncheon could go directly to TWCVV, all of the food was donated by two catering companies that Harriet’s son is involved in: Bruce’s Catering and Lunchbox.

Since her election to the Board of Directors in 2006, Harriet has been a champion for TWCVV through her leadership and constant dedication. “I really enjoy being on the Board, and I look forward to each fundraising event to help keep the doors of TWCVV open,” says Harriet. When asked what keeps her motivated to take on the planning and hosting duties of the luncheon each year, she says, “My motivation is to keep giving back in Nancy’s name and to keep her memory alive.”

Nancy’s memory was ever-present at this year’s luncheon, in the minds of all the women who attended, and in the words of a speech she had first given three years ago, which Harriet repeated. Nancy’s sense of humor jumps off the page, but she also manages to make the poignancy of the gathering come alive with just a simple sentence at the end.

Below is Nancy’s speech from 2008, read by Harriet at the 2011 luncheon:

As I look around today we have gathered together quite an eclectic group of women. There are women here that have been friends with my mom since they were kids growing up, women who have known me since I was a kid growing up. There are women that I’ve been friends with for close to 30 years whose wedding and baby showers we attended. There are friends from the office, friends from the “hood,” friends who I share with on a weekly basis as part of my support group at TWC. There are people here that don’t know me at all, or have met me only once at an event. And there are family members and friends of my mom or mine who were inspired to bring some of their friends along today.

Now some of you that were here last year may be back hoping that my brother again made his famous bread pudding. He did. And there may be some who are here because of the chance to win one of the coveted raffle prizes, there are many. But I believe the truth is you are here because there is a special bond, a unique energy that is truly powerful and empowering when we gather together a group of women to help our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.

One Family, Many Lives Touched

David Wank became a supporter of The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura after seeing how much the organization helped his father during his experience with bladder cancer more than ten years ago. David was elected to the Board of Directors of TWCVV in 2003 and has chaired the Building and Grounds Committee since 2006. David’s unwavering perseverance and dedication helped make the Garden of Hope a reality. His wife Tami and their three children, Justin 14, Hayley 12, and Morgan, 9, have all found their own ways to help support the cancer patients and families who rely on TWCVV for hope. David was kind enough to share his family’s story with us.

Your connection to The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura is through your father, who benefited from their services during his fight with cancer. How did TWCVV help him?

I think this could be said best in my father's words. My father, Melvin, was a strong proud man who would not ask anyone for help, yet, he turned to The Wellness Community for support when he found out he had bladder cancer in 1998. In early 2000, after an MRI reported that his cancer was gone (unfortunately this was false), he wrote a note to The Wellness Community. Unfortunately, he was never able to send it.

After his passing I found the note while cleaning out his desk. The note thanks [Co-Founder and VP of Programs] Marty, [group facilitator] Tony, [group facilitator] Peggy and others for their love and concern for him. He goes on and says, “The most important things are love of family, friends, positive attitude, doctors, medicine, and The Wellness Community.” He ends his note by saying, “Tell my fellow cancer patients never give up.”

For my father to thank The Wellness Community for their love and support showed me how important The Wellness Community is in helping others.

What made you go from being an appreciative family member of a participant, to a dedicated supporter of The Wellness Community's mission?

I felt I wanted to help those who helped my father during the toughest battle of his life.

How did you get involved in chairing the Building and Grounds Committee? How did this lead to the idea of the Garden of Hope?

I was asked to Chair the Building and Grounds Committee in 2006. At the time I was one of the only board members working in commercial real estate.

Being in real estate, I enjoy looking at property and figuring out what might make a building more desirable. I always felt that The Wellness Community’s property was underutilized. I was also informed that we could use more office and group space. We knew we could not expand the building so we started looking for different options.

Ken Kossoff, past President of the board, and I thought it would be ideal to utilize the corner of the property and to make the property more functional. At the time the front was just a very big lawn. Both of us were aware of the Cancer Survivors’ Garden in Palm Springs. We decided that it would be ideal to have the front of the building be a nice garden where people could come, sit, contemplate, and relax with an added benefit of having groups and classes outside. With a lot of help from others and a very supportive Board of Directors we went ahead and started what is now the Garden of Hope.

In 2005 you opened your home to the public for the Holiday Homes Tour, one of TWCVV’s largest fundraisers. What made your family decide to take on this commitment?

My wife, Tami, is amazing. When we were asked if we would include our home in the Holiday Homes Tour, we never thought twice about not having it.

Tami and I never decorated our house for the holidays before, so we hired decorators, shopped for decorations, and turned our home into a festive delight. We had a great and unforgettable time. To quote my wife Tami, “It was one of the most gratifying experiences and fulfilling in so many ways. It was very exciting to see so many people enjoying our home. Our children were filled with such pride and a time they will always remember.”

After the Holiday Homes Tour, since our home was already decorated, we threw a holiday party and invited the Board of Directors and friends. We had a donation box and raised money for The Wellness Community

Can you describe how your children have supported TWCVV and encouraged others to do the same?

I am so proud of my children, Justin 14, Hayley 12, and Morgan 9. Each one of them, at their own choosing, decided for some of their birthdays they would not ask for presents but ask their guests to donate money to The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura. Other friends of my children have also done the same for their birthday parties.

What has motivated you and your family to continue being such strong supporters of TWCVV throughout the years?

As with my father, The Wellness Community helps those who are in need. Once you or a loved one has cancer enter their lives you feel lost and alone, not knowing where to go. Having the support of The Wellness Community helps during very trying times. Also, I feel by helping The Wellness Community I can actually see what our time and money go to and how it helps others. It's a wonderful feeling.

Photo Captions: Top - David, Tami, and their two daughters attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Garden of Hope. (Their son Justin is not pictured.) Photo by Judi Bumstead.
Middle: David participates in the ground breaking ceremony for the Garden of Hope. Photo by Jan Hendry.
Bottom: Tami and David participate in the live auction at the 2011 Celebration of Life Gala to benefit TWCVV. Photo by Judi Bumstead.

The Wellness Community Kicks Off New Support Group With a Seminar on Advances in Lung Cancer Treatment

The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura kicks off a new lung cancer networking group with a free educational seminar led by a UCLA lung cancer physician. “Progress in the Management of Lung Cancer” presented by Edward Garon, MD, takes place on Tuesday, June 21 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at 530 Hampshire Road, Westlake Village, CA 91361. The seminar and networking group are open to lung cancer patients, survivors and family members. The lung cancer networking group meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm, beginning July 5, at the same address as the seminar. Psychotherapist Peggy Johnston, MFT will facilitate. Johnston has been a cancer support group facilitator at The Wellness Community for 11 years. The seminar and the group are both free, but registration is required. Call (805) 379-4777 to register or learn more.

In April, for the first time in four decades, the National Cancer Institute reported a decline in lung cancer deaths for women. The lung cancer death rate for men began to decrease in the early 1990s. In the seminar Dr. Garon will discuss additional encouraging trends in treatment, clinical trials, and management of side effects. Dr. Garon is a physician and researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been awarded a UCLA Lung SPORE Career Development Award in 2007, a Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research award in 2007, the Tower Cancer Research Foundation Career Development Award in 2008, and a Lincy Foundation Grant in 2008. His interests are in gastrointestinal, pancreatic and lung oncology. Dr. Garon sees patients and conducts clinical trials at his private practice in Santa Monica.


The seminar kicks off a new support group geared exclusively to lung cancer patients and survivors. The group will be led by a professional therapist and is free of charge.

Kathy Joosten, a ten-year lung cancer survivor and an Emmy Award-winning actress, encouraged The Wellness Community to form a group to address the specific needs of lung cancer patients and survivors. “I am delighted that they are forming this group because it is essential for lung cancer patients to find support from people who are undergoing the same kinds of fears, expenses, body changes, chemotherapy, and radiation,” says Joosten, who senses a “subtle agreement” among people, even patients themselves, to not talk about lung cancer as much as other types of cancer. She adds, “We need a place where people who have remained silent until now can come together and talk about the disease.” Joosten has starred on many hit television series including The West Wing and Desperate Housewives.