Seen in Easy Reader, November 2025

Cancer Support Community South Bay’s (CSC South Bay) Girls Night Out event returned to the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach on October 22 for the first time since 2019. The evening helps increase awareness of women’s cancers and celebrate survivorship with an evening of laughter and fun. The 200 guests helped raise $148,000.

“Girls Night Out has always been a much-loved tradition in our community, and seeing it come back this year with such energy and support was truly inspiring,” said Jillian Van Leuven, executive director of CSC South Bay.

Hermosa Beach Interim City Manager Steve Napolitano, a long-time supporter of CSC South Bay, led a spirited live auction, which included a Redondo Beach Fire Station Dinner and Fire Patrol Boat Cruise, VIP concert tickets to see Sabrina Carpenter, and a Girls Night Out shopping experience at Alandrea boutique in Redondo Beach Riviera Village.

Speaker Trina Miyahara, who along with her mother and sister, was diagnosed with hereditary breast cancer, told guests, “Healing is not just about the medicine. It’s also about our community. The conversations, the shared tears, the meals left on doorsteps, the quiet moments of sitting together in silence, the opportunity to help the next person become a survivor, those are the things I am most grateful for. I am thankful to my family and friends, whose love held me up, and to Cancer Support Community South Bay, for creating a space for healing, for joy, for love.”

Proceeds from the event will support more than 200 free programs offered each month by CSC South Bay, including support groups, educational workshops, healthy lifestyle classes, and resources for cancer patients and their families.

Sponsors included Karen Beck and Judy Shepherd, Sons of Norway, Ulabrand Lodge, Reproductive Partners Medical Group, Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Kinecta Wealth Management, James and Lana Speer, City of Hope South Bay, Brian and Pauline Harris, and Donna H. Lee.

For more information about CSC South Bay’s programs, please visit CSCSouthBay.org. ER