White Light cancer benefit to return
After pandemic hiatus, event will raise money to aid children in families affected by disease
For 15 years, White Light White Night has been the largest fundraiser for nonprofit Walk With Sally, which provides mentoring programs for children with a parent or sibling diagnosed with or having already died from cancer.
And now, one of the most anticipated South Bay summer charity events — for which guests dress in white to symbolize healing — is back after the coronavirus pandemic nixed an in-person gathering last year. The gala, set for Aug. 21 at the Campus 2100 office complex in El Segundo, will once again be live, but attendance will be limited to 1,000 people, and the venue’s outdoor floor space has been increased.
Coming back in-person will not only help Walk With Sally’s revenue stream, founder Nick Arquette said, but also reinforce the interpersonal connection at the heart of the organization.
“We relied so heavily on that connection, that common bond of healing through our cancer
stories,” Arquette said. “We really got cut off from our life support, not seeing people, not seeing the families that we helped, except for via Zoom.”
Despite the community continuing its support last year, during a virtual event the nonprofit still lost nearly 40% of its revenue, Arquette said.
Arquette's mother died from breast cancer when he was 11. Her death inspired Arquette to found Walk With Sally, named after his mother, in 2005. The organization matches a young person with an adult who has also experienced loss and change because of a family member's cancer diagnosis. The adults then provide one-on-one mentoring to the children with whom they are matched.
The first White Light fundraiser, Arquette said, drew about 50-60 people. In 2019, about 1,200 people attended.
“It feels good to turn cancer into a positive,” Arquette said, “and I think it really resonates with those people who have been impacted by cancer.”
White Light White Night will feature live music from the Spazmatics as well as “A Taste of L.A.” featuring food from local restaurants, signature cocktails and an auction.
Organizers request that guests wear white cocktail attire to honor Sally Arquette. She believed that color stimulates a person's divine nature and summons self-healing known as the “white light of healing and protection,” the organization says.