Subaru Loves to Care Program

Everyone loves a three-peat, especially when the winning combination helps provide care and support to people fighting cancer. For the third consecutive year, Subaru of America, Inc. and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) ​spread love, hope and warmth to cancer patients and their families in communities across the country. Over the past two years, Subaru Loves to Care, the health-focused initiative of the Subaru Love Promise philanthropic platform, has allowed LLS and Subaru to deliver blankets, messages of hope and arts and crafts kits to 70,000 patients in more than 400 hospitals through 475 Subaru retailers.

“Subaru Loves to Care is all about improving the health of our local communities and we are proud to once again work alongside our valued partner, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to continue supporting patients and their families battling cancer,” said Alan Bethke, senior vice president of marketing at Subaru of America. “We hope that through this program, our gestures of hope will comfort and warm those who need it most.”

In July 2018, nine Subaru dealerships in Greater Los Angeles partnered with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society California Southland Chapter to deliver 720 blankets and 235 arts & craft kits to cancer patients at nine local hospitals/clinics. Staff from the Subaru dealerships along with LLS staff and volunteers attended the deliveries, including one standout group of volunteers led by the one and only Ilana Massi. “Ilana’s Crew” provided invaluable support on these deliveries and we are grateful for their tireless commitment to our mission.

One inspiring moment came from Louis Martinez, a cancer patient at City of Hope, Antelope Valley. This 91 year old has been married for 66 years and was accompanied to his treatment by one of his five children, Rachel Perez. He only has two treatments remaining and says the key to his long, healthy life is working outside. A blanket becomes a transitional object for patients that reminds them of the comforts of home, the caring touch of someone who cares and the concept of bringing something home with them that will pleasantly remind them of their healthcare experience.

Thank you to Subaru National for partnering with LLS and the nine local dealerships from our area who donated the blankets: Puente Hills Subaru, Sierra Subaru of Monrovia, Kirby Subaru of Ventura, Subaru Antelope Valley, Subaru Santa Monica, Galpin Subaru, Subaru Pacific, Timmons Subaru and Ladin Subaru. Your generosity has meant the world to not only our LLS volunteers, but to the staff and patients.

Thank you to these amazing Southland hospitals for hosting LLS and Subaru: UCLA Harbor View Medical Center, City of Hope – Duarte, City of Hope - Antelope Valley, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, Venice Family Clinic, UCLA Santa Clarita, UCLA Health Ventura, and Los Robles Community Hospital Cancer Treatment Center.

To learn more about corporate partnership opportunities with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society California Southland Chapter, please contact Executive Director, Shannon Sullivan at 310-846-4738 or shannon.sullivan@lls.org.