Event Spotlight: Catch the Spirit 5K

hoto by Holly Hildreth]

Children’s Cancer Connection is proud to present the 4^th annual Catch the Spirit 5K as this week’s spotlight event. The Koepke family of Waverly, Iowa, has been with Children’s Cancer Connection since 1999, and their daughter Megan lost her battle to cancer in 2007 – spurring on this fundraising event for Camp Heart Connection. To date, the run/walk has raised almost $12,000. 

"After Megan's first experience at camp, we felt like we were part of a very large support network and extended family," says Rhonda, Megan's mom. "It was so wonderful to allow all of our daughters a "normal" camp experience, a time to not worry about our lives with cancer in it. We were fortunate to also be able to put together our own fundraiser for the camp program at Megan's school."

Shortly after Megan passed away, Waverly-Shell Rock Junior High created a day to recognize students for their character, complete with a Catch the Spirit award for students that exemplify integrity and good character, a run/walk though the town of Waverly and a barbeque at the end. All proceeds from the event go to Camp Heart Connection Oncology Camp, and participation costs $10.This year, Catch the Spirit 5K will be held on May 5 from 3:30-5:30 pm.

“It is an amazing day, and we can't think of a better way to honor our daughter's memory than to reward good character of junior high students and to support the camp that has meant so much to us over the years,” says Rhonda.

[P

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)

Drake Relays Street Painting

Today a few staff members from Children's Cancer Connection went out into the community to help celebrate this year's Drake Relays by participating in the first ever Drake Relays Downtown Streeting Painting. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and over 40 teams came out to support the event.

Our Task: To create an awesome 4 x 4 square on Court Avenue outside of Spaghetti Works that captured the essence of Children's Cancer Connection while supporting the 2010 Drake Relays.

Our Team: While our task was great, an expert team helped to lead the way to the finish line. Now, let's meet the players:

• Emily Beckmann, Official Design Sketcher and Color Coordinator
• Meridith Sayler, Trim Fixer Extraordinaire and Co-Professional Paint Mixer
• Mark Slocum, Coffee Connoisseur and Logo Outlining Specialist
• Tiffany K. Spinner, Design Generator and Bubble Letter Creator
• Cindy Stuedemann, Co-Professional Paint Mixer and Positive Thinking Captain

Theme: The theme for our square was based off of the Drake Relays theme this year, "Drake Relays 101." We decided that we definitely wanted to get our new logo and motto (The entire family. The entire journey) out there, while adding a little Drake flare. Therefore, we painted our logo alongside a few lanes of the Drake track with three Drake hurdles. We tied Children's Cancer Connection into the Drake Relays theme by adding our tagline for the square, "Helping families...one hurdle at a time!"

Challenges: We overcame a few a few "hurdles" of our own...

1. The wind and blowing debris - Ok...so it was a few pieces of grass and leave here or there...
2. Distraction - All of the other squares looked awesome! It was fun to go and look around at all of the different ideas that people had come up with.
3. Meatball the Bulldog - He's soo cute! It's really hard not to want to watch him walk around in his little Drake jersey and crown! Okay, so he was more of a distraction really...
4. Needing the "Drake blue" color - Thanks to our awesome friends at the Downtown Neighborhood Association and from a friendly ask from Mark, we overcame this obstacle and obtained a little "Drake blue" for our square.

Overall, the day was a success and all of the street paintings turned out really well. While we didn't come home with the top prize, our team assures you that our square "seriously rocks." So now you're probably saying, "Show us your square already!" Here goes nothing:

Starting off the day with a blank slate and ready to paint!

Our Street Painting Team working on the beginning stages of the new logo and background colors!

This is Meatball. He's this year's Drake Bulldog and he is also a reason that we got distracted for a few moments, but don't worry we got right back to work to make our beau-ti-ful square happen!




















Drumroll please....and this is the finished product! Our square (in all its glory) is located on Court Avenue right outside of Spaghetti Works in downtown Des Moines. Make sure that stop by and admire it next time you are downtown!

Volunteer Spotlight: John Bisenius

This week’s spotlight is stellar volunteer John Bisenius. In June, John will celebrate six years with Children’s Cancer Connection – and through those years, he has taken part in Club HOPE, Family Camp, and the Children’s Oncology Camp Association International Conference.

“With all the different programs, it’s my favorite to able to watch the kids in a place where cancer doesn’t really exist – watching the kids being kids, also watching how they support each other, knowing they’ve all been through the same thing,” says John.

And not only do the kids impact him, but John feels like he’s making a difference in their lives as well. “These kids can do anything while we’re here – we’ll find a way to make it work for any child no matter their diagnosis,” he says. John feels that, after Club HOPE meetings, parents can even provide for their children better after the support the Club offers.

“I look at the kids – siblings, children diagnosed, as well as families and parents – and there’s so much of what we go through every day that are really just annoyances,” John says. “But you look at what they go through, what they have gone through…They face everything with a smile on their face, without showing any ill will toward anybody.” And that’s a common thread through Children’s Cancer Connection volunteers’ experiences.

John, Respite Service Supervisor at ChildServe, lives in West Des Moines.

Cancer Twitter Feeds

We know that, during a battle with cancer, there are many more important things to do than surf the internet. But for those spare moments, here are four great Twitter feeds to give you quick tidbits of information and inspiration along your journey.

@AlexsLemonade offers heartwarming stories about kids raising money to fight childhood cancer. It all started when 4-year-old Alex Scott started a lemonade stand to raise money for "her" hospital -- and the foundation continues to this day.

@Bear4kidscancer is based out of Chicago, IL. They, like Children's Cancer Connection, provide hope and support for those battling kids cancer, and their twitter feed also comes with inspiring stories and timely ideas, like Mother's Day gift ideas that give back to children's cancer.

@superbigsmile isn't cancer-related. Instead, it offers pictures, videos, and stories that match well with its name -- and give you a superbigsmile.

@Coping_cancer shares content from Coping with Cancer magazine -- straight from its editor. Directed toward all cancer survivors, not just pediatric, this feed shares survivors' stories and more.

What Twitter feeds do you follow?

Spotlight: Celebrations Send Kids to Camp Heart Connection

While Children’s Cancer Connection prepares camp staff and our campers get excited to head to Boone this summer, another piece of the puzzle is also falling into place: funding.

Last week, Dr. Braxton Pulley, our board president, hosted another successful “30 Kids to Camp” event at the Capital Room in Des Moines’ East Village. More than 100 people attended the event – and over $10,000 has been raised to date! Dr. Pulley has raised enough to send more than 33 kids to Camp Heart Connection.

Within the office, our very own Meridith Sayler is hosting her own birthday celebration, too: “24 Kids to Camp.” She has already surpassed her end goal, and still has her birthday celebration event to come at the end of April.

Since celebration-style events like these began in Children’s Cancer Connection in 2008, over 100 children have been provided the chance to go to camp.

If you would like to get involved and host your own birthday or anniversary type event, contact Tiffany K. Spinner at tiffany@childrenscancerconnection.com.

Connect to More Resources

Last week, we revealed four pillars of the new and improved Children's Cancer Connection -- and resources that went along with them. Today, please feel free to explore another: Growth.


As an organization constantly evolving to meet the needs of the families that come to us, we're always looking to expand our knowledge, our programming, and our reach.

Cancer Blogger provides cancer information and updates from cancer-cure enthusiasts to experts in the field. It can be a very informational website to grow your understanding.

Check out Children's Cancer Association out east in Oregon -- an organization similar to Children's Cancer Connection but with different programming. We're always looking to improve upon our programs.
What websites have helped you grow through your journey with cancer?