NEWS from THE BUCKET LIST PROJECT

HOLIDAY CHEER 2022

Once again we were privileged to spread some holiday cheer. We worked with the Todd Cancer Institute’s social workers to collect holiday wish lists. Board members and volunteers shopped for and wrapped each gift. Patients and their families enjoyed refreshments, camaraderie,and some festive music before heading out with their gifts.

LONG BEACH GIVES

The Bucket List Project Foundation is pleased to announce it will participate in this year’s Long Beach Gives! Visit our Long Beach Gives page for more information and mark September 22, 2022 for an opportunity to donate or fundraise in support of our mission to provide wishes for adults with life-limiting illnesses and limited resources.

ALEJANDRA VARGAS NAMED THE BUCKET LIST FOUNDATION’S NEW FOUNDATION MANAGER

Press Release - [Friday, October 22nd, 2021]

Long Beach, CA (10/22/21) The Bucket List Project Foundation announced Alejandra Vargas has been named Foundation Manager of the nonprofit devoted to wish fulfillment for individuals 18 years and older with life-limiting illnesses and limited resources, including financial, physical, or support resources.

With a passion for equity, mental health, and community-based support, Vargas brings experience in nonprofit management and supervision to the foundation. Prior to relocating to Los Angeles County, Vargas managed the day-to day activities of the California Central Coast’s suicide prevention hotline and supervised upwards of 80 volunteers who staffed the 24-hour helpline. A childhood-cancer survivor and Make-A-Wish recipient themselves, Vargas has experienced the emotional and physical wellbeing that wish-fulfillment can have on individuals affected by life-limiting illnesses. “Facing illness and living in constant uncertainty took a toll on my emotional wellbeing and my family bore a heavy weight supporting me. However, planning and receiving my wish created an experience that stands separate from that period of my life. It improved my mood and mobility. Now, I am excited to share that same opportunity and joy with others,” said Vargas.

Vargas’ primary role at The Bucket List Project Foundation will be to grow awareness of The Bucket List Project Foundation brand and build out infrastructure, operations and fundraising capabilities to support broader wish fulfillment in the Greater Long Beach area. Their first major project will be planning Holiday Cheer, a festive event continuing in the tradition of The Tracy Lane Foundation and benefiting approximately 20 patients and their families at the Todd Cancer Institute. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, December 11th, 2021.

Our goal," said Dr. Nilesh Vora, Chairman of Hematology and Medical Oncology for Memorial Medical Care Foundation, Director of Palliative Care at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and founding board member "is to bring joy by providing a memorable experience for these patients."

Vargas reports that “lived experience taught me the importance of dedicating the precious time we have to supporting others and improving quality of life. And it is my honor to do just that through the Bucket List Project Foundation’s legacy of compassion and work alongside a community of dedicated supporters.” Vargas holds an undergraduate degree in Latin American/Latin Studies & Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a graduate degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles.

HOLIDAY CHEER 2019

We are so grateful to The Tracy Lane Foundation for starting this wonderful holiday wish fulfillment program and are honored to carry on the tradition. As in the past, we worked with the Todd Cancer Institute’s social workers to collect patient holiday wish lists. Board members and volunteers shopped for and wrapped each gift. Patients and their families enjoyed a festive afternoon with lunch, the beautiful music of the Jazz Angels in the background, and a spirited performance by The Caroling Connection.

2018 Bucket List Bash

The Bucket List Project Foundation celebrated its annual celebratory BASH in October at Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach. With over 250 guests in attendance, $350,000 was raised through both silent and live auctions and a gift of $220,000 from the The Tracy Lane Foundation. Derek Lane, the Foundation’s President, presented the check to the Bucket List Project Foundation, explaining “We saw what Dr. Vora and his staff were doing for their patients and we wanted to be a part of it. We have dissolved our organization and will be transferring our assets, totaling $220,000 to help in their mission.”

Tracy Lane Foundation Holiday 2018

Derek Lane, one of our board member’s, sadly lost his young wife, Tracy, to cervical cancer a few years ago. Tracy’s dying wish was to make sure that no other woman died from such a preventable disease. Before Tracy passed, they established the Tracy Lane Foundation in her honor and worked toward preventing and treating the illness through education and testing. Derek had also spent a considerable amount of time at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center each holiday season handing out money and gifts to patients and caregivers, anyone who had a special Christmas wish that they couldn’t achieve on their own.

The Bucket List Project Foundation proudly kicked off this holiday season with a special wish fulfillment event in Tracy’s honor. Working with Cathy Kopey, the Todd Cancer Institute’s Executive director, and her staff of social workers, patient wish lists were collected and Alex Lane shopped for and wrapped each gift. The requests themselves were unique and varied. Due to their treatments, for example, some patients are simply too sick or financially constrained to buy their children Christmas presents, others are short on their rent, or desperately in need of new tires for their car. The Bucket List Project’s goal is simple: To lift spirits and bring joy to these patients and their families so that they can forget, even for a time, about their illness and focus instead on spending quality time with one another. “The Caroling Connection”, garbed in their Charles Dickens era costumes, added to the festive atmosphere. Delicious refreshments contributed to the good cheer!