We tend to think about today's teenagers as self-centered, looking for the thrill of the moment to fill their need for constant action and entertainment.

So it came as a surprise when my soon to be 17-year-old daughter, Cassie, approached me about hosting a fund raiser. Rather than have a regular birthday party, she wanted an event that would raise funds for the upcoming Walk for Hope, sponsored by the City of Hope.

She had already discussed the party idea with her mother, Yvonne, and arranged for the band The Others to provide live music.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Yvonne is a breast cancer survivor.

Being the skeptical father that I am, I sat Cassie down and grilled her on the responsibilities of hosting a fund raising event. I needed assurances that she would treat the event with importance and not just a party with a theme.

She quickly won me over with her genuine desire to support City of Hope and cancer research.

Step one of the planning involved booking City of Hope's Cooper Auditorium, since the Walk for Hope was the event theme. As the director of Food and Nutrition Services at City of Hope,I was able to meet with administration and quickly gained approval.

The next step involved working with my boss, Rosine Ackerman. Rosine (District Manager) and I (General Manager) provide contracted food services to City of Hope through a company called Sodexho (So-dex-ho).

Cassie would be the hostess of the Sodexho-sponsored party; it was the perfect partnership for everyone (Cassie, City of Hope and Sodexho).

Meetings were held with my catering staff to plan the room set up, menu and final costs. I was looking for the family discount from Sodexho, as our family would be paying the food bill. Executive Chef Alfredo Enriquez worked with Chef Gabriela Perezmartinez, catering manager, and Sandy Castro, catering supervisor, to develop an outstanding menu of appetizers for the guests.

My counterpart from Sodexho (Director of Environmental Services at COH), Sam Miller, offered up the services of his niece Sabrina Clayvon,who is an accomplished singer and would team up with The Others to provide the evening's entertainment.

Saturday night finally arrived and all was prepared for the evening festivities. Cooper Bayliss, band leader for The Others, and the band set up, Chef Gabby and Sandy had the buffet table ready to go, and I paced the room nervously wanting everything to go perfectly.

Clayvon was a hit! Her singing style captivated the guests and the band (this was their first meeting). The original plans called for Sabrina to sing three songs with the band, but she spent most of the evening on stage, giving Cooper a rest from his usual lead singer duties.

The entire night went smoothly (except for the two glass bottles I broke) and we raised almost $3,000!

My thanks to City of Hope for the use of Cooper Auditorium; to Sodexho (and especially Rosine) for their continued support; Sam (for the loan of his niece, Sabrina); Cooper (golfing partner and friend) and The Others for great music; chef Alfredo, chef Gabby, and Sandy (along with Socorro Hernandez from our catering staff) for their fine job and low price; and the many guests who financially supported the event by their generous donations to the Walk for Hope.

High on my list of people to thank are my daughters (and son-in-law Brian) Amanda and Tiffany, who assisted with the planning and worked the event so I could smooze the guests; my wife, Yvonne, who is a survivor and the love of my life.

Finally, there is the birthday girl: Cassie. How does a father express such a high level of pride for daughters who continually amaze me?