Two big-hearted businessmen recently presented a check totally more than $30,000 to the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center. The donation was from proceeds of the 2014 Volkswagen City of Angels Fun Ride .
"This is my favorite day of the year when I get to give the money we raised to UCLA," said Calabasas resident Peter Heumann, who has organized the ride as a labor of love for 17 years. "Blood donation is the least celebrated aspect of medicine but the most important. No medical miracles can happen without blood."
Heumann launched the charity bike ride, which is presented by Volkswagen of America, in 1997. In the past four years, the ride has raised more than $130,000, with Howie Neftin, who owns Neftin Volkswagen of Thousand Oaks, donating $10,000 each year on behalf of the Southern California Volkswagen dealers association. Another $710 was donated by Maria Marsh, owner of Pace Sportswear in Garden Grove, from the sale of her firm's cycling jerseys for the ride.
"Participating in this wonderful community ride and donating the funds to the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center has been a thrill for me," said Neftin. "It's a great feeling to make a difference to such a worthy cause."
This year's donation funded the purchase of a new box truck for UCLA's mobile blood-donation program. The truck, which is furnished with donation beds and equipment, allows the center to staff community blood drives throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.
"This event really contributes to community health and well-being," said Dr. Alyssa Ziman, medical director of the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center. "The box truck allows us to collect some 22,000 units of blood a year, supplying half of the blood transfusions to UCLA hospital patients. We couldn't do it without Peter, Volkswagen and the riders that support us each year."
