At the Children’s Cancer Association (CCA), our community, from the families we serve to the corporate partners that support us, includes dreamers, doers, and achievers. For the last three years, we’ve had the honor of hosting Conversations in Innovation, where some of Oregon’s influential business leaders from a variety of industries come to discuss innovation in Portland.

In FY17, CCA focused on delivering exceptional quality, mission impact growth, and evidence-based analytics and results.

There are special people in life that bring happiness with them wherever they go. Two-year-old Sol is one of those people. Named 2017 CCA Hero for the month of August, Sol’s life facing high-risk stage IV Neuroblastoma hasn’t been easy, but she’s handled everything with incredible strength.

We asked you to spend the day in bed for seriously ill children and you didn’t disappoint! Nearly 1.5 million fans tuned in from around the world to watch their favorite artists, like Ed Sheeran, Nick Jonas, Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Frank Iero, and Shinedown, play from bed. Together on #GivingTuesday we raised $65,000 to bring the healing power of music to hospitalized kids across the country. Thank you! This puts us well on the way to achieving our $100,000 Bedstock goal before year end.

The day after Sol’s first birthday, her parents, Andy and Ruth, learned that she had a growing, low-risk mass in her adrenal gland. She soon had surgery to remove it, but not long after her tumor returned. This time it was the size of a baseball, wrapped around several organs, and it was high-risk. Before they knew it, Sol was in the operating room again, and one week later she received her first dose of chemotherapy.

Fun fact: Isa means rainbow in Chamorro, which is the indigenous language of Guam. It also perfectly describes this vibrant, colorful girl, whose beautiful spirit shines everywhere she goes.

The Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) and MyMusicRx are pleased to announce the return of Bedstock, a life-changing, award-winning, online music festival where bands perform from bed as a show of solidarity with thousands of sick kids spending the holidays in hospital beds.

Over the last year, the Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) has provided service to over 28,000 seriously ill children and their family members. Ruth Zuniga and Andy Soria, along with their little girl Sol, were one such family. Originally from Costa Rica, Andy and Ruth moved to the US to pursue their PhDs and had decided not to have children. However, their little “ray of sunshine,” Sol, had other plans.

At the Children’s Cancer Association, we’re breaking up with cancer and delivering transformative moments of joy to kids and families when they need it most.

Six-year-old Otto “Otto-bot” Stuckman knows a thing or two about heroes. He’s a huge fan of superheroes like the Green Lantern (“He’s got a power ring!”), The Flash (“He’s so fast!”), and Cyborg from Teen Titans (“He has a blaster!”).

On October 7^th, the very same night of CCA’s Wonderball: Age of Aquarius, 3000 miles away in Montclair, New Jersey, 12-year-old Ella Freund was kicking off an incredible CCA fundraiser of her own.

The Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) raised $1.4 million at our 17^th annual Wonderball gala on Saturday, Oct. 7 to fuel our mission of prescribing joy to seriously ill children and their families. CCA welcomed nearly 850 supporters to the Oregon Convention Center for an Age of Aquarius themed night inspired by the abundant love and optimism of the Woodstock era.

Growing up not too far from Oregon in Wenatchee, Washington, Dustin received his undergrad in Sport Management and master’s in Business Administration from Union University in Tennessee. Oregon was always on his radar and in 2012 he decided to move to Portland. When he’s not making people laugh in the office, Dustin enjoys snowboarding and hiking.

Emily “Emz” Pulis is a strong, independent 16-year-old with an infectious grin and a powerful hug. While she may seem quiet at first, it’s not long before she starts cracking jokes and looking for ways to make you smile.

Ayden is a bright, sweet 14-year-old, who has a deep passion for the Seattle Seahawks. When Ayden was one-year-old, he contracted Pneumococcal Bacteremia and sepsis. When his kidney did not recover, he was placed on dialysis for three years until he received a kidney transplant.

Our team at the Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) continues to grow as we challenge ourselves to provide joy to more kids and teens facing serious illness each year. Recently, we hired six new staff members and welcomed three new interns. Of those six staff members, two are previous CCA volunteers. We’re so excited to have them on the team and know that their expertise will only help to strengthen our mission. Today, we would like to introduce you to Drew Peterson, Database Support.

A bright spot of musical talent in the hospitals is non-other than Emily Rico. With her degree in music and passion for working with children and teens, she never fails to bring a little more laughter and happiness to everyone she meets! We sat down with her to gain insight into what motivates her work and why expression through music is so important for children and teens in a hospital setting.

Sol is the perfect name for this two-year-old ray of sunshine. Sol loves petting farm animals, pretending to be a dinosaur, blowing bubbles with her Chemo Pal, Emily, and her rubber boots.

When the summer sun shines down on Oregon, the Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) goes golfing. The seventh annual Golf for Joy event, led by Gay Davis, was yet again an incredible show of community. With the help of our generous partners, donors, and friends, the event has raised an astounding $300K and counting! Below are some of the highlights from the event.

Smiles, laughter, music, nature, kindness, and helping people, these are the things that bring Suzie Moll joy. A native Oregonian with a passion for giving back, Suzie has been involved with non-profits in her community since her 20s. She is an avid supporter of organizations bettering the lives of children and teens, so it’s no surprise that she took an interest in our JoyRx programs.