Executive Director Spotlighted in Des Moines Register

Today, Mark Slocum, Executive Director at Children's Cancer Connection, is being featured in a Des Moines Register article entitled, "Director: new name tells group's goal." 


Click here to read the article which features news about the name change, our programs and services and more about our very own Mark Slocum! Please pass this story on to friends and family. 


(Photo credit: ANDREA MELENDEZ / THE REGISTER)

Mark's Take On Why We Changed Our Name

"By now you are aware, we have changed our name and look. When we began pondering this change I was reluctant. We’ve always been The Heart Connection and we have always had the cute rainbow as our logo. My logical side understood the why, my emotional side didn’t like it. Let’s face it, change is hard.

As we worked through the process, nearly eighteen months, I began to understand better. I understood because it is all I ever have known. But to the family whose child has been recently diagnosed – they have cancer – not a heart problem. Friends that I have known since starting with the organization nearly 18 years ago still ask me, “How’s it going at Iowa’s Heart Foundation for Kids with Cancer”. The need for change became clearer.

So what about the logo? The new logo is part of the branding process, which includes a total make over, creating a look and feel that is consistent. We were very fortunate to receive support and guidance from the Integer Group, a world leader in promotions and retail marketing. Best of all, they were able to help us keep the name and logo as part of the organization.

Children’s Cancer Connection is the umbrella under which each of our four program areas will have a name and logo: Survivorship, Hospital Based, Support Services, and Camps and Recreation. The Camps and Recreation program area is now known as Camp Heart Connection and the rainbow is its logo.

Change is hard for those of us who have always known the organization one way. But as I have learned over the past eighteen months, we need to always be aware of the obstacles that keep those who both need and support our programs from finding the services that we provide, and strive to overcome these obstacles."

Mark Slocum
Executive Director

Children's Cancer Connection Still Has Heart

On Monday, March 29, The Heart Connection Children’s Cancer Programs will be reborn as Children’s Cancer Connection. The Heart Connection has been providing support and services for children with cancer and their families since 1988 – and their latest improvement is a big one. Clearer and more succinct, the new name and image will enable Children’s Cancer Connection and its staff to continue their mission: to enhance the quality of life for children and families affected by childhood cancer by providing programs for education, recreation and support.

“After months of careful thought and reflection, we chose Children’s Cancer Connection as our new corporate name to better explain who we are and who we serve,” according to Mark Slocum, Executive Director. “It truly says what we do: connect children and families affected by cancer with the services they need.” Furthermore, the name eliminates misunderstanding about the word heart in the name; Children’s Cancer Connection is clear about who they are and what they do.

Children’s Cancer Connection’s flagship programs, the Oncology and Sibling Summer Camps, are also undergoing changes. “Our summer camp program has never had an official name,” according to Slocum. But it will now. “In honor of those who first said, ‘Whether we are sick or healthy, doctor or patient, we are all connected by the heart,’ we have named our camp program ‘Camp Heart Connection,’ and the rainbow logo will serve as the camp’s flag.” The original logo, drawn by Danny Cornish during his battle with cancer, has been selected to be the official logo of the camp program.

Through the changes, it is important to note that Children’s Cancer Connection is the same caring, compassionate, dynamic organization with the same staff and volunteers. The organization still provides the same beneficial programs and services that adapt to fit the needs of those they serve.