“Save the tatas!”
That’s what Steffanie Stelnick yelled to a crowd of people on Saturday night during the Bras for a Cause breast cancer awareness annual fundraiser presented by Soroptimist International of Valencia.
Loud cheers and applause followed.
Over 300 people gathered at the Hyatt Regency of Valencia to enjoy a night of runway fashion and simultaneously raise funds to support local underserved breast cancer patients with world-class screening, mammograms, and other forms of treatment and support, co-chair Laura Chesler said.
Funds raised will be given to local nonprofit organizations such as Circle of Hope, the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and others to aid women and men undergoing breast cancer treatment.
Bras for a Cause has been a staple local event for over two decades and what makes it so special is the immense support from local dignitaries and other members of the community, Chesler said.
“Santa Clarita is so unique that it always supports nonprofits, and so many people in this community have had a loved one, someone they know, who is affected by breast cancer, and it really resonates with them,” she said.
Marlee Lauffer, HMNH Foundation president and vice president of marketing and communications for the hospital, provided insight on where those proceeds make an impact.
“Part of what we do with that money is women who are either underinsured or uninsured and can’t afford to get the diagnostic process. We’re able to help them with it through the generosity of Soroptimist,” she said.
“It also can help to fund new equipment and state-of-the-art technology,” she said adding that the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center serves thousands of women and men, and a significant number of patients are always in need of some kind of assistance.
“I just admire the soroptimist ladies for their enthusiasm and efforts in putting together an event of this magnitude,” she added.
“Our goal is to smash whatever we’ve (raised) in the past,” Chesler said. “The fact that we can help someone get a mammogram, get treatment, go to a support group … it means the world to me to be able to do that.”
The main attraction of the event was the runway fashion show, in which 12 models strutted the catwalk showcasing handmade bras created in collaboration with designers for guests to bid on.
Many of the models were also local women, volunteering their time for the cause while having some fun filled with cheers and claps.
It was Stelnick’s fourth year strutting the runway and she supports the cause because “it’s becoming a horrible, horrible disease that too many women are getting. I’m all about preventative care and saving the tatas,” she said.
Although she was a bit nervous before she was set to take the stage, Stelnick described the atmosphere of the runway as “a little crazy. The louder the music, the better. The audience is insane, it’s reinvigorating.”
“I just like to help and do what I can for the community and make sure women, whether they have money or not, can get these mammograms and get them checked and have no excuse not to do preventative care so they don’t have to get and deal with cancer if they can,” she added.
“I love being able to empower women and to be a voice for those that sometimes might feel like they’re voiceless or they’re battling something that they need another voice for,” Darlene Trevino added.
Stelnick and Trevino were this year’s title sponsors.
With $850,000 raised over the years, the Bras for a Cause message remained clear for everyone in attendance: In Santa Clarita, no one battles breast cancer alone.
