COMMUNITY & CULTURE

AGING, UNFILTERED: EVERY LIFE DESERVES DIGNITY, EVERY LEGACY DESERVES CARE

The Cynthia F. Blaizes Foundation brings conversation, music, and comedy together for an intimate evening focused on aging, caregiving, and connection.

By Dr. Jerome Dorn 

Behind every conversation about senior care is a person with a history: someone who raised a family, built a career, nurtured friendships, overcame hardship, and contributed to a community. As needs change with age, those experiences remain an essential part of who that person is.

The Cynthia F. Blaizes Foundation, also known as The CFB Foundation, will place that humanity at the center of “Aging, Unfiltered,” an intimate evening of conversation scheduled for Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., at The Celebrations Venue & Red Room Supper Club in Costa Mesa, California.

With attendance limited to 150 guests, the event will bring together perspectives from caregiving, senior living, medicine, entertainment, and community leadership. Its purpose is direct: to change the conversation around senior care by creating room for honest questions, shared experiences, and greater understanding.

Kym Whitley Will Guide the Conversation

Actress, comedian, podcaster, and caregiver Kym Whitley will moderate the evening. Her combination of public storytelling and caregiving experience will bring a personal perspective to a subject that touches families across generations.

Conversations about aging can be difficult to begin. Families may struggle to discuss changing needs, ask for assistance, or consider care arrangements. Caregivers may find themselves balancing responsibilities while trying to make decisions that respect a loved one’s preferences.

“Aging, Unfiltered” will make space for those conversations without requiring participants to pretend they have every answer.

The Voices of Experience

The foundation’s announced lineup will bring several viewpoints to the discussion.

Julian L. Bannister, president and CEO of The CFB Foundation, will represent the organization’s mission of supporting older adults and preserving their legacies.

Crystal Dilliard, chief marketing officer and co-owner of Oakmont Senior Living, will bring a senior-living industry perspective.

Dr. Arun S. Karlamangla, MD, chief of the UCLA Division of Geriatrics, will contribute a medical perspective on aging.

Jeremy Hall, partner and chief revenue officer of Regenerative Research Group, will join the announced voices of experience, along with Judge Mablean Ephriam, known for Justice with Judge Mablean.

The lineup will also include Elaine Gibbs, vocalist, writer, and CFB ambassador, and comedian Flame Monroe, who is scheduled to headline the evening’s comedy segment.

Together, the participants will approach aging as a subject involving families, communities, care professionals, and older adults themselves.

Making Room for Honest Questions About Senior Care

Among the planned topics will be the stigma surrounding senior care facilities, including a discussion of their advantages and challenges.

That conversation will offer an opportunity to move beyond broad assumptions. Families considering care arrangements often need space to discuss expectations, concerns, and the questions they should bring into the decision-making process.

The evening will also address support for caregivers and the challenges they face. Caregiving involves relationships as well as responsibilities, and conversations about senior well-being are incomplete when the needs of caregivers go unheard.

Another planned focus will be intergenerational connection, particularly relationships between older adults and younger people. Such exchanges can create opportunities to share family histories, practical knowledge, and perspectives that might otherwise remain unspoken.

At the heart of these topics will be a common question: How can communities respond to aging with greater attention, respect, and compassion?

Cynthia F. Blaizes: The Woman Behind the Mission

The foundation’s work carries the name and memory of Cynthia Francesca Blaizes, whose life provides the personal foundation for its mission.

According to the biography supplied by the foundation, Cynthia was born on December 30, 1940, in El Chorrillo, Panama, to Ida Blaizes and Cleveland F. Blaizes. She attended República de El Salvador School before moving to the United States to join her parents.

Fluent in Spanish when she arrived, she approached learning English with determination and later pursued advanced studies at Pace University. Her professional life included work at Manufacturers Hanover Trust and a leadership role at Blue Cross Blue Shield, where the foundation credits her with overseeing implementation of its COBRA insurance program.

Yet the portrait preserved by her family extends well beyond her résumé.

Cynthia’s musical tastes ranged from calypso and Celia Cruz to Mahalia Jackson and Andrea Bocelli. Those choices reflected the warmth, energy, and range of a woman remembered for speaking honestly and welcoming others.

Her loved ones also recalled her endurance through cancer, other illnesses, and the World Trade Center attack. They remembered the humor, optimism, and generosity she carried through hardship.

That personal history gives the foundation’s message its emotional weight. Preserving a legacy means remembering the whole person—their accomplishments, personality, relationships, and the everyday details that made them unmistakably themselves.

A Vision for Connection and Purpose

The CFB Foundation describes its mission as “Supporting the Elderly…Preserving Legacies!”

Its stated vision emphasizes dignity, cognitive engagement, physical activity, and meaningful social connection. The organization aspires to develop programs that encourage older adults to remain involved in their communities and connected to the people around them.

These are goals that place quality of life alongside care. They recognize the importance of opportunities to participate, contribute, and be heard.

“Aging, Unfiltered” will bring that vision into a public gathering, inviting guests to consider how their own families and communities can become more attentive to older adults’ experiences.

An Evening With Music, Conversation, and Laughter

The evening will begin with a musical performance by Elaine Gibbs, setting the stage for conversation and connection.

Comedy will follow later in the program, headlined by Flame Monroe, with additional comedians to be announced.

The combination will give the gathering room for both serious reflection and enjoyment. Aging and caregiving deserve thoughtful discussion, and the people engaged in those conversations also deserve moments of music, laughter, and fellowship.

Event Details

Aging, Unfiltered — Presented by The CFB Foundation

Wednesday, December 16, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.

The Celebrations Venue & Red Room Supper Club

1901 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Tickets: $65 per person

Capacity: 150 guests

Through this intimate gathering, The CFB Foundation will invite guests to see senior care through the lives it touches—and to remember that every person receiving care has a story worth knowing.