Past Events

ZooPendous Family Day at L.A. Zoo

It is well known that spending quality time with family is paramount for parents with cancer and their children. For parents, worries about their children are of primary concern and children whose parents are diagnosed with cancer are more likely than other children to experience increased levels of distress and anxiety. That is why it is important to offer special group-based family programs for young parents undergoing treatment so members can enjoy a carefree day together and meet other families going through similar experiences. This zoo day included a catered BBQ lunch for participants and separate group sessions for children and parents.

Maroon 5 Music Studio – Dec. 7, 2019

On December 7, at one of the landmark music studios with world-class recording facilities in Los Angeles, Pop Rock Band Maroon 5 members James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael and Sam Farrar and the band’s engineer and music producer Noah Passovoy warmly welcomed our AYAs!

Band members developed immediate rapport with our AYAs, encouraged their love of music and shared insights into important aspects of songwriting, music performance and production as well as the band’s stories and upcoming 2020 Tour. They also demonstrated part of the new release “Memories” by Adam Levine. Immersed in such a friendly and inviting environment, AYAs shared their stories and passion for music, performed for each other, and also developed new friendship. Many were also inspired to write their own songs to truly express themselves. THANK YOU, Maroon 5!

Holiday Movie & Bingo Night – Dec. 5, 2019

On December 5, our first annual AYA@USC Holiday Movie and Bingo Night welcomed both outpatients, inpatients, survivors and their families to an evening of young adult appropriate and family centered activities in a festive and inviting environment. These activities included a fun holiday movie Elf, photo opportunity with Santa, ornament art activity, music performance, BINGO and prizes. This event connected AYAs from different geographic areas of Southern California thanks to the support of The Kevin Cordasco Foundation Something Yellow.

First Descents Sea Kayaking – Nov. 1-3, 2019

Experience the healing power of adventure! AYA@USC partnered with First Descents to provide AYA cancer patients with this unique experience to bond through outdoor adventure and challenge themselves throughout the journey to fight against cancer!

AYA@USC Weekend Getaway Retreat - Sep. 27-29, 2019

A wonderful weekend getaway retreat specially designed for AYA cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones to attend for FREE. Participants enjoyed the peacefulness of nature, fun activities, and peer support. Activities included hiking, a challenge ropes course, archery range, fishing pond, art workshop, journal making, and comedy show.

Nature Walk at the King Gillette Ranch

On February 23, 2019, a group of cancer patients and pharmacy students took an educational walk at the King Gillette Ranch with Dr. James Adams from the USC School of Pharmacy and Dr. Aura Kuperberg from AYA@USC to learn about the Indian culture, Chumash healing, and the medical benefits of local plants.

Virtual Reality Escape Room

Young Adults enjoyed a unique experience of immersive narrative story room adventures, arcades and virtual reality at The Raft, Space Squad and Lost City at a micro-amusement park in downtown Los Angeles.

David Stroud Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Symposium

AYA@USC has been hosting David Stroud Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Symposium since 2013. These symposia provided new and practical information covering the spectrum of important issues in AYA cancers, survivorship and supportive care to improve quality of life. It was a true AYA community consisting of providers, patients, partners and advocates.

Mindfulness Meditation with Dr. Allen Weiss

Mindfulness has been proven to be an effective and low-cost intervention to reduce anxiety and distress in the field of Oncology. Dr. Allen Weiss is the founder of USC Mindfulness and also a senior teacher at InsightLA.org (the largest mindfulness center in Los Angeles). He shared with our group the basic techniques of mindfulness and how to adopt it in our daily life to achieve desirable outcomes with fairly low time commitment.