Coins in Fountain to Help Pay for New Heart
Starting Tuesday, every shopper who tosses a coin into the fountains at the Janss Marketplace will be helping to pay for Newbury Park resident Jeff Litoff’s new heart.
The shopping center is kicking off a fund-raising campaign for Litoff, who caught the attention of the community when he and his wife Rosemarie announced they might have to divorce in order to pay for his much-needed transplant. If the couple were not married, Jeff Litoff could qualify as an indigent and receive Medi-Cal.
The Litoff’s friends and family launched a campaign to raise about $150,000 needed for the transplant, and their efforts caught the attention of the Organ Transplant Fund. The group agreed to guarantee payment, and in January Jeff Litoff got his new heart.
More than $70,000 has been raised, but the couple is still about $80,000 short of the amount they need.
The Janss Marketplace has agreed to be the central location for donations and will unveil a giant “thermometer” on Tuesday to show the progress of the campaign. Merchants at the mall will have a “Give a Dollar From Your Heart” donation boxes on their counters.
Mayor Andy Fox and Conejo Valley Man of the Year Otto Stoll will cut a ribbon at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to mark the beginning of the fund-raising effort.
Contributions can also be mailed to Organ Transplant Fund Inc., Friends of Jeff Litoff, P.O. Box 766, Newbury Park, 91320.
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