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UCLA Blood Center Receives $45K Gift for Mobile Donations

Peter Heumann and Howie Neftin donate money that will benefit the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center's mobile blood donation program.

The recently received a donation of more than $45,000 from two passionate Bruin fans, marking the second year in a row the pair has given money to the center.

Peter Heumann, of Calabasas, and Howie Neftin, of Thousand Oaks, have raised a total of $73,500 for the UCLA center over the past two years. They presented checks for the total donation last month at . Last year, Heumann and Neftin . Money was raised through Heumann's City of Angels Fun Ride, sponsored by Volkswagen of America.

The ride has raised more than $50,000 in the past two years and Neftin, owner of Neftin Volkswagen of Thousand Oaks, has donated $20,000 on behalf of the Southern California Volkswagen dealers association.

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The money raised will be used toward a new box truck for the 's mobile blood donation program. The truck transports equipment to donation sites throughout the Los Angeles area.

"This is a way I can show my daughter (and) my family we can have a positive impact on society," Heumann said.

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Dr. Alyssa Ziman, medical director for the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center, said the truck is "an important tool in our ability to collect blood."

It will be used to send supplies to mobile blood drives and collect whole blood units for patient care, she said.

UCLA has "an amazing program," Neftin said. The mobile blood donation program collects about 22,000 units of blood annually. About 50 percent of all units of blood used at UCLA hospitals come from the program.

"UCLA's [Blood and Platelet Center] is absolutely one of those great causes," Heumann said.

—Patch Editor Sara Fay contributed to this report.


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