Of one mind

Lolita Harper

They represent four different charities all fishing for money from

the same pool: the Newport-Mesa community.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Y-ME National Breast

Cancer Assn., Hoag Cancer Center and Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer

Center at UC Irvine Medical Center are each heavy-hitters in a

shopping benefit hosted Tuesday by Bloomingdale’s in Fashion Island.

On paper, it would seem the women representing each of these

organizations are in competition. Who can bring in the most shoppers?

Who can raise the most awareness? Who will walk away with the biggest

check?

One might imagine a fierce rivalry, closed-door meetings and

antagonism. In reality, the women all sit around the same table one

morning last week in the Bloomingdale’s cafe, 59th and Lex, and chat

like old friends.

“Orange County Breast Cancer community is very unique -- how we

all work together,” said Sandy Finestone, the director of the Hoag

Cancer Center. “We are not competitive, we are supportive.”

The friendship was not more evident than when Finestone, the last

to arrive at the 11 a.m. meeting, came limping to the table.

Jennifer Anderson, Jeanette Morrow and Donna Sousa-Wright were

talking about shoes, pointing to Bloomingdale’s representative Erin

Bianchi’s plaid, pointed-closed-toe heels. They were “great,” the

group decided.

Finestone propped her broken foot up on the chair, which was

dressed in a glamorous orthopedic booth.

“Do you like mine?” she said.

Apparently, Finestone was walking out of one of her many meetings,

for one of the many boards she sits on, and tripped.

“I was rushing and I fell nose first,” she said, chuckling. “There

were papers everywhere, all sprawled out in front of me, and there I

am, on the ground, laughing. I didn’t even know it was broken for a

couple of weeks.”

Finestone’s hand gestures, facial expressions and semi-reenactment

of the event made the table burst into laughter. A few shoppers in

the cosmetics section glanced over to see what the fuss was about but

the women didn’t notice.

Finestone’s entrance was representative of the rest of the women’s

meeting.

They cracked jokes, talk about common friends, compliment outfits,

good-naturedly rib each other and still manage to represent their

respective organizations to the fullest.

And even though they were fashionable women, sitting in the middle

of a internationally renowned shopping venue, their attention never

once strayed from the topic at hand. Longing glances at the plush

wool coats, shimmering jewelry and brand-name sunglasses were never

shot across the room.

When it came to raising money for breast cancer, their eyes

lighted up and the pace of their speech increased. Ideas flew across

the table and the women shared strategies on how to get shopper in

the store for Tuesday’s benefit.

Bloomingdale’s has pledged to give a 15% discount Tuesday to each

shopper that presents a $10 ticket, denoting their support of a

respective charity. Tickets will have been distributed before hand,

by the respective representatives and will also be on sale at the

door. The money raised from sales of the tickets, will go directly to

the charities -- there are seven total participating -- and the

retailer will also present each organization with an undisclosed,

flat amount.

Sure, Sousa-Wright may prefer Jane Doe to buy a ticket from Y-ME

but has no problem giving tips to “newcomer” Anderson on how to drum

up her sales.

“One group can’t do it all,” Finestone said.

“There are too many people to help,” Anderson chimed in.

“There are great needs all over this Orange County... We all want

this to be successful and we all benefit from this,” Sousa-Wright

added.

“Our focus is on helping people and we can’t get stuck on things

like competitive nature -- that is not an issue,” Morrow concluded.

“We are bosom buddies.”